1' 


& 

*  KJ 

/T\  rrt 

"i 

i     /i\  .-J 
I     QJ  -n 

CO 

m   ^J"  Ah 

hi 

X 

CO  CO  P 

ft 

"2 

rid  C 

o 

.  Sanfo 

^  .  ^ 

O 

«D  U  G  Eh 

Eh 

«  O 

CE 

V) 

>-> 

CO  H  C  O 

M 

~o 

•  K  -P 

Ph 

<U 

C  W 

c 

Lf)    ^  3 

<u 

I/) 

+J  ffi  C 

t 

CL 

co  cn  >h  -h 

x  c  to  *w 

PQ  «  J 

Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 

https://archive.org/details/ladyhuntingtonheOOknig_0 


LADY  HUNTINGTON 


AND 

HER  FRIENDS; 

OR, 

THE  REVIVAL  OF  THE  WORK  OF  GOD 

IN 

THE  DAYS  OP  WESLEY,  WHITEEIELD,  ROMAINE,  VENN,  AND  OTHEKS 

IN 

THE  LAST  CENTURY. 

COMPILED  BY 

MRS .  HELEN  C. ^KNIGHT. 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE 
AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU-STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18-53.  by  0.  R.  Kings- 
bury, in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Natural  and  spiritual  birth  of  Lady  Huntington  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  glance  at  familiar  faces — Watts — Lady  Abney — Col.  Gardiner — 
Doddridge  21 

CHAPTER  III. 

Doing  and  suffering  36 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Whitefield   49 

CHAPTER  V. 

Romame — Alarms — Gospel  ranging  64 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Doddridge  82 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Tabernacle — Venn — Preaching  tours  97 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Family  matters — Chapels — Berridge  114 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  valley  of  Baca  127 

CHAPTER  X. 

Blackfriars — Chapel  at  Bath — Lady  Glenorchy  137 


4  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Indian  preacher — Dartmouth — Lord  Buchan  150 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Vevecca   164 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  i,    h  recruit — Tunbridge  Wells  174 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  breach  187 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Death  of  Whitefield  203 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Venn  leaves  Huddersfield — Labors  of  Lady  Huntington — Death  of 
Howell  Harris  and  Lord  Chesterfield  218 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  rectory  of  Yelling  239 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Rowland  Hill  251 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  secession  263 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Harvest-home      .  278 


PREFACE. 


The  beginning  of  the  last  century  was  marked 
by  spiritual  barrenness  in  England  and  her  colonies. 
Immorality  and  scepticism  had  blighted  the  moral 
consciousness  of  the  nation,  and  cankered  the  great 
heart  of  the  church.  In  place  of  the  vital,  sturdy 
faith  of  a  former  day,  there  seemed  only  a  perverted 
Christianity,  weak,  insincere,  effeminate,  with  "  a 
name  to  live." 

But  in  this  evil  and  desolate  hour,  there  were  in 
secret  places  the  wrestling  Jacobs,  whose  conflicts 
issued  in  "  newness  of  life;"  and  suddenly,  strangely 
as  it  seemed  to  men,  the  electric  appeals  of  White- 
field,  and  the  powerful  preaching  of  the  Wesleys,  star- 
tled the  thronging  multitudes  of  London  with  the  aw- 
ful verities  of  the  world  to  come.  The  doctrines  of 
the  cross  were  proclaimed  by  earnest  men,  who  them- 
selves had  felt  their  saving  power  ;  everywhere  souls 
were  sunk  in  the.  depths  of  spiritual  want,  who  laid 
hold  of  the  "  living  way"  of  return  to  their  Father's 
house  set  before  them  in  the  gospel ;  and  multitudes, 
renouncing  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  this  life,  con- 
fessed themselves  "  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the 


6  PREFACE. 

earth,"  anct  "desired  a  better  country,  that  is,  a 
heavenly." 

We  have  singled  out  from  this  great  company  a 
noble  Christian  Woman,  whose  name  is  blended  with 
the  history  of  this  period ;  whose  soul  glowed  with  a 
fervent  faith  ;  and  whose  princely  mansions  were  open 
with  a  tireless  hospitality  to  every  one  who  loved  her 
Lord.  As  we  follow  her  path,  Wesley  goes  out  from 
us  to  stamp  his  intrepid  spirit  upon  the  organism  of 
one  of  the  largest  bodies  of  Protestant  Christians,  and 
at  some  future  day  we  hope  to  follow  him  in  his 
career. 

Never,  perhaps,  since  the  days  of  the  apostles,  did 
the  brave,  loving,  and  rejoicing  spirit  of  the  gospel 
more  strikingly  manifest  itself.  It  embraced  the 
high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  who,  when 
imbued  with  its  divine  life,  became  one  in  Christ 
Jesus,  members  of  the  same  household  of  faith.  In 
them  the  new  birth  was  something  more  than  a  theo- 
logical dogma,  or  an  article  in  the  creed ;  it  was  a 
living  reality :  they  rejoiced  and  testified  that  they 
were  born  of  Grod,  for  "old  things  had  passed  away, 
all  things  had  become  new."  Religion  no  longer  con- 
sisted in  a  formal  assent  to  a  dead  orthodoxy,  but  it 
was  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul,  the  living  Christian- 
ity of  the  Bible,  which  is  alone  transforming  and 
vital. 


PREFACE.  7 

It  is  well  to  study  the  spiritual  development  of  a 
period  so  marked  as  this — the  very  period  of  the  great 
revival  of  the  work  of  Grod  in  our  own  country  in  con- 
nection with  the  labors  of  Edwards,  Brainerd,  and 
the  Tennants — in  order  that  we  may  see  clearly  the 
distinguishing  elements  of  the  renewed  soul :  hatred 
of  sin,  love  to  the  Redeemer,  and  flowing  from  these, 
love  and  good-will  to  man.  It  will  help  to  settle 
the  solemn  question,  which  we  doubt  not  rises  upon 
many  a  disquieted  soul,  both  within  and  without  the 
visible  church,  "Am  I  really  a  child  of  Grod  ?"  The 
question  returns,  Do  you  honestly  and  heartily  desire 
to  be  free  from  the  corruption  which  underlies  your 
nature,  and  which  makes  you  an  alien  from  your 
Father's  house  ?  Does  your  heart  go  out  in  tender- 
ness and  love  to  Him  who  hath  borne  your  iniqui- 
ties, and  by  whose  stripes  you  are  healed?  And 
with  this  love  in  your  soul,  is  it  your  heart's  desire 
and  prayer  to  God  to  bear  your  part,  humble  though 
it  be,  to  bring  others  to  this  Saviour  of  lost  men  ?  for 
this  is  the  fruit  of  faith. 

Such  endeavors  may  be  noiseless,  quiet,  domestio 
in  their  nature,  like  Harlan  Page's,  and  like  many  a 
godly  mother's ;  but  they  must  exist,  for  the  church 
of  Christ  is  essentially  aggressive :  its  mission  is  not 
only  to  love,  but  to  conquer  by  love.  And  while 
the  believer  should  win  a  hearing  by  the  purity  and 


8  PREFACE. 

blamelessness  of  his  life,  the  singleness  of  his  aim, 
and  the  beauty  of  his  holiness,  shall  he  not  "  go  forth 
bearing  precious  seed,"  be  ready  to  "do  good  and 
to  communicate ;"  and  in  humble  imitation  of  his 
heavenly  Master,  distribute  the  living  bread,  and 
pour  out  the  healing  waters  of  salvation  to  famished 
ones  all  along  the  way-sides  of  life  ? 


LADY  HUNTINGTON 

AND 

HER  FRIENDS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH  OF  LADY  HUNT- 
ING-TON. 

A  little  girl  is  following  her  playmate  to  the 
grave  ;  the  funeral  badges,  the  solemn  pomp  of  the 
procession,  the  falling  of  the  turf  upon  the  coffin,  with 
the  mournful  echo,  "earth  to  earth,  ashes  to  ashes, 
dust  to  dust,"  fill  her  with  profound  awe.  Death 
and  life  seem  strangely  blended ;  the  great  hereafter 
rises  before  her  amazed  and  startled  vision.  Her 
young  heart  is  bowed.  "Oh  God,  be  my  Grod,  when 
my  hour  shall  come  !"  is  her  anxious  though  unuttered 
cry.  The  impressions  of  this  hour  were  never  lost ; 
neither  the  bright  promises  which  dawned  upon  her 
girlhood,  nor  their  brighter  realization  in  a  brilliant 
and  happy  marriage,  could  ever  lull  the  unrest  of  her 
awakened  spirit,  or  silence  the  cravings  of  her  famished 
soul.  She  felt  herself  in  a  far  country,  a  wanderer 
from  her  Father's  house,  and  she  began  to  be  in 
want. 

1# 


10 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


This  child,  called  Selina  Shirley,  second  daughter 
of  Earl  Ferrars,  was  born  in  Chartley,  August  24, 
1707.  Almost  from  infancy,  an  uncommon  serious- 
ness shaded  the  natural  gladness  of  her  childhood; 
in  the  clear  depths  of  her  penetrating  eye,  and  in  the 
curve  of  her  thin  lip,  were  traces  of  earnest  thought, 
and  thought  inspired  not  so  much  by  the  sweet 
solitude  and  breezy  melodies  of  the  grand  old  trees 
around  her  father's  mansion,  or  the  ivied  ruins  of 
Chartley  castle,  or  the  storied  associations  of  her  own 
ancestral  history,  as  by  other  and  far  deeper  things. 
She  loved  to  visit  the  grass-grown  grave  of  her  departed 
friend,  and  would  often  stray  to  a  little  closet  in  her 
own  room,  where,  screened  from  the  notice  of  her 
sisters,  she  poured  out  her  heart  in  supplication  to  the 
Author  of  her  being.  Without  any  positive  religious 
instruction,  for  none  knew  the  inward  sorrows  of  this 
little  girl,  nor  were  there  any  around  her  who  could 
have  led  her  to  the  balm  there  is  in  GHlead,  Selina 
devoutly  and  diligently  searched  the  Scriptures,  if 
haply  she  might  find  that  precious  something  which 
her  soul  craved.  That  there  was  a  higher  good,  a 
purer  joy,  a  loftier  love,  she  was  well  assured,  for  her 
religious  instincts  kept  climbing  upward  for  light  and 
warmth  ;  but  where  could  they  be  found  ? 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  she  was  married  to 
Theophilus,  Earl  of  Huntington,  a  man  of  high  and 
exemplary  character,  and  by  this  connection  became 
allied  to  a  family  whose  tastes  and  principles  happily 
coincided  with  her  own. 

Both  by  birth  and  by  marriage  Lady  Huntington 


FIRST  YEARS  OF  MARRIED  LIFE.  11 

was  introduced  to  all  the  splendors  and  excitements 
of  high  English  life.  At  the  residence  of  her  aunt, 
Lady  Fanny  Shirley,  at  Twickenham,  which  formed 
one  of  the  literary  centres  of  that  day,  and  whose 
mistress  was  a  reigning  beauty  of  the  court  of  George 
I.,  she  mingled  freely  with  the  wits,  poets,  and 
authors,  then  distinguished  in  the  walks  of  English 
literature.  Among  her  friends  might  he  numbered  the 
famous  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  whose  talents  were 
only  equal  to  her  temper  ;  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Monta- 
gue, whose  intimacy  and  quarrels  with  Pope,  as  well  as 
her  eccentricities,  have  sent  her  name  down  to  pos- 
terity; Margaret,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Oxford,  a 
patroness  of  literature  and  friend  of  Miss  Robinson, 
afterwards  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Mrs.  Mon- 
tague. 

The  gifts  and  graces  of  the  young  Lady  Hunt- 
ington fitted  her  to  shine  in  the  most  elegant  circles 
of  England  ;  but  whatever  she  might  have  been  as  a 
leader  of  fashion,  or  an  actor  in  political  intrigues,  or 
the  friend  of  literary  merit,  her  life  comes  down  to 
us  linked  with  the  Redeemer's  cause,  and  her  name 
is  enrolled  among  those  who  have  loved  and  labored 
for  their  Lord. 

During  the  first  years  of  her  married  life,  Lady 
Huntington's  chief  endeavor,  amid  the  shifting  scenes 
of  town  and  country  life,  was  to  maintain  a  con- 
science void  of  offence.  She  strove  to  fulfil  the 
various  duties  of  her  position  with  scrupulous  exact- 
ness ;  she  was  sincere,  just,  and  upright ;  she  prayed, 
fasted,  and  gave  alms ;  she  was  courteous,  consider- 


12 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


ate,  and  charitable  ;  at  Donnington  Park,  Ashby  de  la 
Zouch,  in  Leicestershire,  the  elegant  summer  resi- 
dence of  the  Earl,  she  was  the  Lady  Bountiful  of 
the  neighborhood ;  she  struggled  against  infirmities 
within  and  temptations  from  without,  and  strove  to 
model  her  outward  and  inward  life  after  the  divine 
pattern— yet,  was  Lady  Huntington  happy?  The 
consciousness  of  seeking  to  live  a  virtuous  and  God- 
fearing life  braced  her  moral  powers  and  quickened 
her  intellect ;  but  where  was  the  faith  that  could 
emancipate  her  soul  from  the  fear  of  (rod's  inquisi- 
tion ?  "  I  have  done  virtuously,"  was  the  complacent 
suggestion  of  self-love;  "but  how  can  I  tell  when  I 
have  done  enough?"  was  the  doubtful  inquiry  of 
conscience. 

So  passed  the  early  years  of  Lady  Huntington's 
life  ;  children  were  born,  mingling  their  lights  and 
shadows  in  the  stately  household  ;  no  earthly  good 
was  withholden,  nor  were  earthly  blessings  abused 
by  riot  or  excess ;  dignity,  sobriety,  and  refinement 
presided  over  the  homes  and  halls  of  the  Earl. 
Among  the  women  of  her  day  it  might  have  been 
said  of  his  wife,  "She  excelled  them  all,"  yet  her 
heart  knew  its  own  sorrows ;  it  was  laden  with  its 
own  hidden  burdens. 

Lord  Huntington  had  several  sisters  whose 
thoughtful  cast  of  mind  made  them  particularly  wel- 
come to  his  house.  In  them,  Lady  Huntington  had 
found  kindred  spirits ;  but  now  came  Lady  Margaret 
from  Ledstone  Hall,  bearing  a  new  and  rich  experience. 
She  was  the  same  Margaret  of  old,  and  yet  another. 


HEARS  MR.  INGHAM. 


13 


Yorkshire  and  Ledstone,  among  other  towns  in  York- 
shire, had  been  blessed  by  the  labors  of  a  mighty  man 
of  God.  He  preached  the  great  doctrines  of  the 
cross  under  a  profound  and  thrilling  sense  of  their 
value.  He  went  from  town  to  town,  from  hamlet  to 
hamlet,  and  house  to  house,  preaching  "  repentance 
toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
Men  paused  and  listened  to  his  messages  ;  the  clergy, 
were  waked  from  their  spiritual  slumbers,  some  to 
receive  a  new  quickening  from  his  words,  others  to 
upbraid  and  drive  him  from  their  churches.  The 
sisters  of  Ledstone  Hall  heard  of  his  fame,  and  hun- 
gered for  the  living  manna.  Mr.  Ingham  was  invited 
to  the  Ledstone  church.  The  preacher's  words  fell 
upon  good  ground.  His  simple  yet  searching  appeals 
alarmed  the  conscience  and  melted  the  heart.  Mar- 
garet Hastings  embraced  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus : 
it  was  no  longer  the  Christianity  of  creed  and  ritual, 
but  a  new  birth  into  Christ's  spiritual  family,  with 
the  conscious  heirship  to  a  heavenly  inheritance. 

With  this  fresh  life  in  her  soul,  she  visited  the 
house  of  the  Earl.  What  a  new  world  of  hopes,  of 
aims,  of  privileges  could  she  unfold  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington— pardon  through  a  crucified  Saviour — peace 
such  as  the  world  could  neither  give  nor  take  away  ; 
and  as  she  spoke  one  day,  these  words  fell  from  her 
lips :  "  Since  I  have  known  and  believed  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  for  salvation,  I  have  been  as  happy  as 
an  angel."  A  believer's  blessed  testimony,  but  it 
found  no  response  in  Lady  Huntington's  heart. 
Margaret's  language  was  like  an  unknown  tongue. 


L4 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


It  was  the  report  of  a  strange  land.  There  was  no 
answering  tone.  She  felt  herself  an  utter  stranger  to 
those  sweet  assurances  which  had  hushed  the  dis- 
quiet of  her  sister's  soul,  and  admitted  to  the  groping 
spirit  a  gleam  of  light  from  the  heavenly  world. 

Lady  Huntington  was  alarmed.  Could  she,  relig- 
ious from  her  youth  up,  he  really  ignorant  of  the  true 
way  of  acceptance  with  (rod  ?  Had  she  not  always 
been  doing,  struggling  ?  Yet  in  spite  of  all,  a  con- 
viction of  short-coming  pressed  upon  her ;  and  she 
added  austerities  and  rigors  to  subdue  her  sense  of 
indwelling  sin. 

Alas,  she  felt  only  more  keenly ,  that  every  attempt 
to  make  her  life  answer  to  the  requirements  of  God's 
righteous  laws,  only  widened  the  breach  between 
herself  and  the  Lawgiver.  She  beheld  herself  more 
and  more  a  spiritual  outcast.  Thus  harassed  by 
inward  conflicts,  Lady  Huntington  was  thrown  upon 
a  sick-bed,  and  after  many  days  and  nights  seemed 
hastening  to  the  grave.  The  fear  of  death  fell  terri- 
bly upon  her. 

"It  was  to  no  purpose,"  says  one  of  her  at  this 
period,  "that  she  reminded  herself  of  the  morality  of 
her  conduct.  In  vain  did  she  recall  the  many 
encomiums  passed  upon  her  early  piety.  Her  best 
righteousness,  so  far  from  justifying  her  before  God, 
appeared  only  to  increase  her  condemnation." 

There  she  lay,  with  every  alleviation  which  the 
best  skill  and  the  tenderest  nursing  could  impart, 
but  there  was  a  malady  of  the  soul  which  these 
could  not  reach.    Was  there  no  balm  in  Gilead,  and 


STUDENTS  IN  OXFORD. 


15 


no  Physician  there  ?  Then  it  was  that  the  words  of 
Lady  Margaret  came  laden  with  wonderful  meaning. 
"I  too  will  wholly  cast  myself  on  Jesus  Christ  for 
life  and  salvation,"  was  her  last  refuge ;  and  from  her 
bed  she  lifted  up  her  heart  to  God  for  pardon  and 
mercy  through  the  blood  of  his  Son.  With  streaming 
eyes  she  cast  herself  on  her  Saviour :  "  Lord,  I  believe  ; 
help  thou  ,  mine  unbelief."  Immediately  the  scales 
fell  from  her  eyes ;  doubt  and  distress  vanished  ;  joy 
and  peace  filled  her  bosom.  AYith  appropriating  faith, 
she  exclaimed,  "My  Lord,  and  my  God!"  From 
that  moment  her  disease  took  a  favorable  turn ;  she 
was  restored  to  health,  and  what  was  better,  to 
''newness  of  life." 

Exemplary  as  Lady  Huntington  had  been  as  a  wife 
and  mother,  and  free  from  the  corruptions  of  fashion- 
able society,  no  one  could  fail  to  see  the  transform- 
ing influence  which  grace  had  wrought  in  her.  Love 
and  self-abasement  mellowed  the  sterner  traits  of  her 
character  ;  the  strong  sympathies  of  her  heart  gushed 
out  towards  the  people  of  (rod,  and  henceforth,  "My 
God,  I  give  myself  to  thee,"  became  the  watchword 
of  her  life. 

At  the  period  of  Lady  Huntington's  marriage, 
there  was  a  little  band  of  students  in  the  bosom  of 
Oxford  University  who,  by  prayer  and  fasting  and  a 
rigid  self-denial,  had  laid  hold  upon  the  great  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel,  and  weTe  wrestling  with  them, 
like  one  of  old,  for  a  heavenly  benediction.  Shocked 
by  the  scoffing  tone  and  degraded  aims  of  their  fel- 
lows, and  disgusted  with  the  prevailing  shallow  piety 


16 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


of  the  pulpit  and  the  church,  they  asked,  "  Is  there  not 
something  holier  and  loftier  than  this  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ?"  "Can  it  not  redeem  from  sin  and 
exalt  by  the  power  of  an  endless  life  ?"  Profoundly 
earnest,  they  accepted  the  Bible  in  its  integrity,  with- 
out abatement  or  addition,  as  the  charter  of  their 
liberties  and  a  missive  charged  with  terrible  mean- 
ing from  Grod  to  a  fallen  world.  They  gave  them- 
selves to  the  service  of  the  Lord  with  their  whole 
hearts  ;  nor  is  it  strange,  in  that  period  of  scepticism 
and  levity,  that  their  devout  and  steadfast  adherence 
to  religious  convictions  provoked  the  frowns  of  their 
masters,  and 'the  ridicule  of  their  companions  ;  but 
taunts  and  revilings  could  not  daunt  the  spirit  of 
such  men  as  Whitefield,  the  Wesleys,  and  their  more 
immediate  copartners.  Rich  in  that  grace  which  the 
Father  of  our  spirits  vouchsafes  to  the  waiting  and 
believing  followers  of  his  Son,  the  time  came  when 
every  corner  of  England  thrilled  with  the  fervid 
eloquence  of  their  preaching. 

After  leaving  Oxford,  Whitefield  at  Bristol,  Ing- 
ham in  Yorkshire,  and  Wesley  at  London,  began  those 
fearless  and  awakening  appeals  which  quickened  the 
vitality  of  English  Christianity,  reasserting  its  de- 
mands upon  the  moral  consciousness  of  the  nation. 

The  Wesleys  with  Ingham  went  to  Georgia, 
where,  after  laboring  two  years  with  success  ill-pro- 
portioned to  their  zeal,  they  returned  to  England. 
On  the  voyage  and  during  their  stay,  having  been 
thrown  into  the  society  of  some  Moravian  mission- 
aries, whose  simple  piety  won  their  confidence  and 


JOHN  AND  CHARLES  WESLEY. 


17 


love,  they  lost  no  time  on  their  arrival  at  London  in 
visiting  the  Moravian  chapel  at  Fetter's-lane,  where 
Wesley's  career  properly  begins,  but  whence  he  not 
long  after  withdrew  to  lay,  as  it  seemed,  not  only 
the  foundations  of  a  new  encampment  in  the  great 
Christian  army,  but  to  give  urgency  and  a  name  to 
that  religious  renovation  which  the  church  needed, 
both  to  maintain  her  supremacy,  and  to  quicken  her 
onward  march  in  the  conquest  of  the  world. 

As  Margaret  Hastings,  from  whose  lips  she  first 
heard  the  joyful  language  of  a  saving  faith,  was  a 
disciple  of  Ingham,  no  wonder  that  when  Lady 
Huntington  experienced  its  blessed  effects  in  her  own 
soul,  she  turned  from  the  more  frigid  and  formal 
teaching  of  former  spiritual  guides  with  a  yearning 
heart  towards  the  new.  On  her  recovery,  she  sent 
for  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  then  in  London,  to 
come  and  visit  her,  expressing  a  warm  interest  in 
their  labors,  and  bidding  them  God  speed  in  the 
great  and  glorious  work  of  urging  men  to  repentance 
and  to  heaven.  This  was  in  the  year  1739,  and 
Lady  Huntington  was  at  the  age  of  thirty-two. 

In  Lady  Huntington  they  found  an  ardent  friend, 
and  a  fearless  advocate  of  their  new  movements. 
To  her,  new  movements  wore  no  portentous  look 
when  the  church  wras  sleeping  at  her  post,  and  the 
world  around  was  sinking  to  ruin.  The  vigorous 
itinerant  preaching  which  constituted  the  then  new, 
though  revised  instrumentality  for  meeting  the  wants 
of  the  time,  whether  among  the  colliers  of  Kings- 
wood,  the  London  rabble  on  Kennington  common, 


18 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


or  the  farmers  of  the  Yorkshire  dales,  strongly  con- 
trasted .with,  and  boldly  rebuked  the  stagnant  min- 
istrations of  the  sporting  clergy,  the  grave  decorum 
of  their  more  serious  brethren,  and  the  utter  indiffer- 
ence generally  felt  about  providing  suitable  means 
of  moral  culture  for  the  great  masses  of  half-savage 
workmen  living  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  king- 
dom. 

Both  the  Earl  and  his  wife  became  frequent 
attendants  upon  the  ministry  of  Wesley;  and  while 
Lady  Huntington  took  great  delight  in  the  society  of 
her  new  Christian  friends,  she  did  not  neglect  to  urge 
upon  her  former  associates  the  claims  of  that  gospel 
which  she  had  found  so  precious  to  her  own  soul. 
The  rebuffs  which  she  sometimes  met  with  on  these 
occasions  form  a  curious  page  in  the  chapter  of 
human  pride. 

"  The  doctrines  of  these  preachers  are  most  repul- 
sive," writes  the  proud  Duchess  of  Buckingham, 
"and  strongly  tinctured  with  impertinence  and  dis- 
respect towards  their  superiors,  in  perpetually  endeav- 
oring to  level  all  ranks  and  do  away  with  all  distinc- 
tions. It  is  monstrous  to  be  told  that  you  have  a 
heart  as  sinful  as  the  common  wretches  that  crawl 
upon  the  earth.  This  is  highly  offensive  and  insult- 
ing, and  I  cannot  but  wonder  that  your  ladyship 
should  relish  any  sentiments  so  much  at  variance 
with  high  rank  and  goodbreeding." 

"Your  concern  for  my  religious  improvement  is 
very  obliging,"  thus  discourses  the  unhappy  Lady 
Marlborough;  "  God  knows  we  all  need  mending,  and 


LADY  MARLBOROUGH. 


19 


none  more  than  myself.  I  have  lived  to  see  great 
changes  in  the  world — have  acted  a  conspicuous  part 
myself — and  now  hope  in  my  old  age  to  obtain  mercy 
from  Grod,  as  I  never  expect  any  at  the  hands  of  my 
fellow-creatures.  Good,  alas,  I  do  want ;  but 
where  among  the  corrupt  sons  of  Adam  am  I  to  find 
it  ?  Your  ladyship  must  direct  me.  But  women 
of  wit,  beauty,  and  quality  cannot  bear  too  many 
humiliating  truths — they  shock  our  pride.  Yet  we 
must  die — we  must  converse  with  earth  and  worms. 
I  have  .no  comfort  in  my  own  family,  and  when 
alone  my  reflections  almost  kill  me,  so  that  I  am 
forced  to  fly  to  the  society  of  those  whom  I  detest 
and  abhor.  Now  there  is  Lady  Frances  Sanderson's 
great  rout  to-morrow  night ;  all  the  world  will  be 
there,  and  I  must  go.  I  do  hate  that  woman  as 
much  as  I  hate  a  physician  ;  but  I  must  go,  if  for  no 
other  purpose  but  to  mortify  and  spite  her.  This  is 
very  wicked,  I  know,  but  I  confess  my  little  pecca- 
dillos to  you ;  your  goodness  will  lead  you  to  be  mild 
and  forgiving." 

This,  then,  is  the  bitter  experience  of  one  who 
had  been  the  companion  of  princesses  and  the  orna- 
ment of  courts  ;  "vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit."  It 
tears  away  the  trappings  of  wealth  and  station,  and 
startles  us  by  a  sight  of  the  bad  passions  which  lie 
cankering  beneath.  Let  it  be  contrasted  with  the 
freshness  and  beauty  of  the  believer's  life. 

"What  blessed  effects  does  the  love  of  Grod  pro- 
duce in  the  hearts  of  those  who  abide  in  him," 
writes  Lady  Huntington  to  Charles  Wesley.  "How 


2Q 


LADY  HUNTING- TON. 


solid  is  the  peace  and  how  divine  the  joy  that  springs 
from  an  assurance  that  we  are  united  to  the  Saviour 
by  a  living  faith.  Blessed  be  his  name.  I  have  an 
abiding  sense  of  his  presence  with  me,  notwithstand- 
ing the  weakness  and  unworthiness  I  feel,  and  an 
intense  desire  that  he  may  be  glorified  in  the  salva- 
tion of  souls,  especially  those  who  lie  nearest  my 
heart.  After  the  poor  labors  of  the  day  are  over, 
my  heart  still  cries,  '  G-od  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner !'  I  am  deeply  sensible  that  daily,  hourly,  and 
momentarily  I  stand  in  need  of  the  sprinkling  of  my 
Saviour's  blood.  Thanks  be  to  G-od,  the  fountain 
is  always  open ;  0  what  an  anchor  is  this  to  my 
soul !" 


A  G-L ANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES. 


21 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  G-L  ANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES. 

Among  Lady  Huntington's  friends  and  guests  we 
find  dear  familiar  and  honored  names.  Behold  that 
little  feeble  old  man,  shy  in  manner,  yet  rich  in 
speech :  bodily  infirmity  has  long  beset  his  path,  and 
driven  him  from  public  and  stirring  life  to  the  retire- 
ment which  he  dearly  prized.  For  him  the  country 
had  manifold  charms,  and  thus  he  sings : 

tcI  search  the  crowded  court,  the  busy  street, 
Run  through  the  villages,  trace  every  road. 
In  vain  I  search ;  for  every  heart  I  meet 
Is  laden  with  the  world,  and  empty  of  its  God. 

How  shall  I  bear  with  men  to  spend  my  days  ? 
Dear  feathered  innocents,  you  please  me  best; 
My  God  has  formed  your  voices  for  his  praise, 
His  high  designs  are  answered  by  your  tuneful  breast. ;' 

Wherever  he  goes,  he  is  regarded  with  veneration 
and  love,  for  his  mind  is  stored  with  knowledge  and 
his  heart  is  alive  with  tender  sympathies.  He  is  the 
author  of  many  a  learned  treatise,  a  father  in  the 
ranks  of  non-conformity,  and  has  a  fame  both  in  the 
old  world  and  the  new;  yet  we  know  and  love  him 
best  as  author  of  the  sweet  cradle-song,  "  Hush,  my 
dear,  lie  still  and  slumber,"  which  lulled  us  to  sleep 
in  the  nursery,  and  of  those  psalms  and  hymns  which 
are  destined  to  shape  the  experience  and  lead  the> 


22 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


worship  of  millions,  when  the  fame  of  his  learning 
shall  no  more  he  rememhered. 

This  is  Dr.  Watts,  the  venerable  pastor  at  Stoke 
Newington.  He  was  horn  in  the  stormiest  days  of 
non-eonformity,  and  we  find  him  nursed  in  the  arms 
of  his  sorrowing  mother  on  a  stone  by  the  prison  walls 
which  confine  his  father,  a  "  godly  man  and  a  deacon," 
willing  to  suffer  constraint  and  persecution  for  con- 
science' sake.  He  is  without  the  endearing  treasures 
of  wife  and  children,  for  he  was  never  married  ;  "  yet 
his  lines  have  fallen  to  him  in  pleasant  places  and  he 
has  a  goodly  heritage,"  for  he  is  the  beloved  and  hon- 
ored member  of  a  family  "  which,  for  piety,  harmony, 
order,  and  every  virtue,  was  a  house  of  Grod  ;"  here 
were  "the  retired  grace,  the  fragrant  bower,  the 
spreading  lawn,  the  flowery  garden,"  with  comfort, 
elegance,  friendship,  and  books. 

"  I  came  to  the  house  of  this  my  good  friend  Sir 
Thomas  Abney,  intending  to  spend  a  single  week 
beneath  his  roof,"  said  Dr.  Watts  one  day,  "  and  I 
have  extended  my  visit  to  thirty  years." 

"  I  consider  your  visit,  my  dear  sir,"  responded 
Lady  Abney,  "as  the  shortest  my  family  ever  re- 
ceived." 

Sir  Thomas,  Alderman  of  London,  a  pious  and 
exemplary  man,  whose  dignities  did  not  seduce  his 
heart  from  his  God,  died  in  1722,  eight  years  after 
Watts  had  come  under  his  hospitable  roof.  The 
mournful  occasion  was  commemorated  by  an  elegiac 
from  the  poet-pastor;  closing  with  a  note  of  praise, 
always  so  congenial  to  his  spirit : 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES.  23 

u  Great  God.  to  thee  we  raise  our  song — 
Thine  were  the  graces  that  enriched  his  mind ; 
We  bless  thee  that  he  shone  so  long, 
And  left  so  fair  a  track  of  pious  life  behind." 

After  Sir  Thomas'  death,  he  still  remained  in  the 
family  an  honored  and  cherished  member  of  the  fire- 
side circle. 

Dr.  Watts  was  settled  at  Stoke  Newington  in 
1702 :  the  extreme  delicacy  of  his  health  prompted 
his  people  the  next  year  to  associate  with  him  Rev. 
Samuel  Price.  The  love  he  bore  to  his  charge,  and 
the  high  estimate  he  entertained  of  the  relation  which 
bound  him  to  it,  is  thus  touchingly  expressed :  "I 
pronounce  it  with  the  greatest  sincerity,"  said  he, 
"  that  there  is  no  place  or  company  or  employment 
this  side  of  heaven,  which  can  give  me  such  a  relish 
of  delight  as  when  I  stand  ministering  holy  things 
in  the  midst  of  you."  Nor  was  it  from  the  pulpit  that 
his  influence  was  chiefly  exercised:  whenever  his 
health  permitted,  his  pastoral  visits  from  house  to 
house  were  kind,  instructive,  and  edifying;  while  a 
fifth,  or  as  some  say,  a  third  part  of  his  income  was 
spent  in  charities.  - 

There  were  then  no  associations,  as  now,  to  cir- 
culate the  word  of  life  at  home  and  abroad.  Bible, 
Missionary,  and  Tract  societies  were  the  growth  of  a 
later  day,  nay,  the  product  of  that  very  renovation 
of  English  Christianity  which  was  then  in  progress. 
"  I  sometimes  regret  foolishly  enough,"  said  Hannah 
More,  "while  assisting  in  the  formation  and  watching 
the  growth  of  the  religious  institutions  which  have  so 
distinctly  marked  the  present  century,  that  some  of 


24 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


my  earliest  and  dearest  friends  did  not  live  to  pro- 
mote and  rejoice  in  them."  Nor  can  we  help  thinking 
how  both  Watts  and  Doddridge  would  have  rejoiced 
in  those  things  which  we  now  see  and  hear,  when  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  is  so  fast  filling  the  earth. 

"  I  have  long  been  in  pain,"  wrote  Colonel  Gar- 
diner to  Doddridge,  "lest  that  excellent  person,  Dr. 
Watts,  should  be  called  to  heaven  before  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  letting  him  know  how  much  his  works 
have  been  blest  to  me,  and  of  course  of  returning  to 
him  my  hearty  thanks.  I  must  beg  the  favor  of  you 
to  let  him  know  that  I  intended  to  have  waited  on 
him  in  the  beginning  of  last  May,  when  I  was  in 
London ;  but  was  informed,  and  that  to  my  great 
sorrow,  that  he  was  extremely  ill,  and  therefore  that 
I  did  not  think  a  visit  would  be  seasonable.  I  am 
well  acquainted  with  his  works,  especially  with  his 
psalms,  hymns,  and  lyrics.  How  often,  by  singing 
some  of  these  to  myself  on  horseback  and  elsewhere, 
has  the  evil  spirit  been  made  to  flee  away : 

"  Where  e'er  my  heart  in  tune  was  found, 
Like  David's  harp  of  solemn  sound. 

"  I  desire  to  bless  Grod  for  the  good  news  of  his 
recovery ;  and  entreat  you  to  tell  him,  that  although 
I  cannot  keep  pace  with  him  here  in  celebrating  the 
high  praises  of  our  glorious  Redeemer,  which  is  the 
great  grief  of  my  heart,  yet  I  am  persuaded,  when  I 
join  the  glorious  company  above,  where  there  will  be 
no  drawbacks,  that  none  will  outsing  me  there,  be- 
cause I  shall  not  find  any  that  has  been  more  indebt- 
ed to  the  wonderful  riches  of  divine  grace  than  I. 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES. 


25 


c:  •'  Give  me  a  place  at  thy  saints'  feet, 
On  some  fallen  angei;s  vacant  seat, 
I  '11  strive  to  sing  as  loud  as  they 
Who  sit  above  in  brighter  day.'  " 

Lady  Huntington  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing 
these  two  men  to  each  other ;  and  we  can  almost  see 
the  tall  and  stately  figure  of  the  colonel,  dressed  in 
his  regimentals,  bending  with  love  and  veneration 
before  the  feeble  and  palsied  poet,  seemingly  more 
attenuated  by  his  closely  fitting  breeches  and  skull 
cap.  What  a  whole-souled  heartiness  in  the  soldier's 
grasp !  How  affectionate  and  sympathizing  is  the 
answering  pressure  of  the  old  man's  hand  ! 

Colonel  and  Lady  Frances  Gardiner  were  frequent 
guests  of  Lord  Huntington,  during  their  visits  in 
London. 

"And  I  cannot  express,"  exclaimed  Lady  Hunt- 
ington, "how  much  I  esteem  that  most  excellent  man 
Colonel  Gardiner.  What  love  and  mercy  has  God 
shown  in  snatching  him  as  a  brand  from  the  burning  ! 
He  is  truly  alive  to  God,  and  pleads  nothing  but  the 
plea  of  the  publican,  1  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.' 
What  a  monument  of  his  mercy,  grace,  and  love! 
To  glorify  God  and  serve  him  with  all  his  ransomed 
powers  is  now  his  only  aim." 

Behold  another,  one  whom  Dr.  Watts  tenderly 
loves :  he  is  a  young  man  of  tall  and  slender  make, 
-  whose  sincerity  and  sweetness  of  manner  win  our 
confidence  and  bespeak  affection.  You  hear  him  talk, 
and  every  thing  he  says  bears  the  aroma  of  deep  and 
genuine  piety ;  nothing  dogmatic  or  uncharitable  or 
censorious  falls  from  his  lips  ;  his  spirit  is  not  fettered 

Huutin»ton.  2 


20 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


by  denominational  barriers,  but  he  recognizes  his 
Master's  image  and  embraces  his  Master's  followers, 
as  well  within  the  pale  of  the  stately  English  church, 
and  among  the  rude  tenants  of  Moorfields,  as  among 
the  stern  believers  belonging  to  his  own  household  of 
faith.  He  is  the  popular  preacher,  and  successful 
teacher,  Philip  Doddridge  of  Northampton. 

"When  it  was  proposed  to  establish  a  college  among 
the  dissenters,  Doddridge,  then  quite  young,  was 
requested  to  express  his  views  upon  the  best  method 
of  preparing  young  men  for  the  ministry.  He  drew 
up  a  paper,  which  was  sent  to  Dr.  Watts  for  his 
opinion.  Much  pleased  with  the  breadth  and  sound- 
ness of  the  article,  the  doctor  immediately  opened  a 
correspondence  with  the  young  author,  expressing  a 
hope  that  he  might  one  day  be  able  to  carry  his 
admirable  plan  into  execution. 

He  was  already  a  favorite  and  rising  preacher :  soon 
after  completing  his  studies,  he  received  an  urgent  call 
to  settle  over  a  large  dissenting  congregation  in  Lon- 
don ;  this,  with  other  flattering  invitations,  he  refused, 
preferring  the  humble  parish  of  Kibworth,  with  less 
hurry  and  more  leisure  for  study  and  self-improve- 
ment. To  some  of  his  friends,  who  seemed  to  pity 
his  obscure  fortunes,  he  thus  beautifully  replies : 

"Here  I  stick  close  to  those  delightful  studies 
which  a  favorable  Providence  has  made  the  business 
of  my  life.  One  day  passeth  away  after  another,  and 
I  only  know  it  passes  pleasantly  with  me.  I  live  like 
a  tortoise  shut  up  in  its  shell,  almost  always  in  the 
same  town,  the  same  house,  and  the  same  chamber ; 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES. 


27 


yet  I  live  Hke  a  prince — not  indeed  in  the  pomp  of 
greatness,  but  the  pride  of  liberty — master  of  my 
books,  master  of  my  time,  and  I  hope  I  may  add, 
master  of  myself.  I  can  willingly  give  up  the  charms 
of  London,  the  luxury,  the  company,  and  the  popu- 
larity of  it,  for  the  secret  pleasures  of  rational  employ- 
ment and  self-approbation,  retired  from  applause  or 
reproach,  from  envy  and  contempt,  and  the  destruc- 
tive baits  of  avarice  and  ambition ;  so  that  instead  of 
lamenting  it  as  my  misfortune,  you  should  congrat- 
ulate me  upon  it  as  my  happiness,  that  I  am  con- 
fined to  an  obscure  village,  seeing  it  gives  me  so 
many  valuable  advantages  to  the  most  important  pur- 
poses of  devotion  and  philosophy,  and  I  hope  I  may 
add,  usefulness  too." 

Behold  the  sweet  contentment  of  the  village  pas- 
tor, at  rest  with  himself  and  happy  in  his  Crod  :  no 
ambitious  cravings,  no  secret  repinings,  no  envious 
comparisons,  no  feverish  excitements,  disturb  the 
peaceful  flow  of  his  devout  and  useful  life.  But  at 
Kibworth,  Doddridge  was  not  destined  to  remain ;  the 
Lord  had  other  work  for  his  servant.  Unknown  to 
himself,  he  was  preparing  a  fame  wide  as  the  Chris- 
tian world. 

In  1729,  he  received  a  pressing  call  to  an  impor- 
tant dissenting  congregation  at  Castle  Hill,  North- 
ampton. Various  circumstances  conspired,  which 
caused  his  best  friends  to  urge  his  accepting  it.  He 
did  so ;  and  in  addition  to  his  pastoral  and  pulpit 
duties,  he  established  an  academy  for  young  men 
upon  the  plan  already  mapped  out,  which  had  received 


28 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


the  universal  approbation  of  his  ministerial  brethren. 
Doddridge  is  now  twenty-eight  years  old. 

A  life-work  was  before  him,  and  he  entered  upon 
it  with  an  elastic  and  bounding  spirit — more  than  that, 
with  systematic  and  steady  diligence.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  every  year  he  laid  out  an  exact  plan  of  busi- 
ness, as  also  for  every  month,  week,  and  day,  so  that 
the  work  of  to-day  should  not  clash  with  that  of  to- 
morrow ;  and  he  continued  to  have  a  few  hours  every 
week,  to  which  no  particular  business  was  allotted. 
These  he  set  apart  as  a  sort  of  surplus  capital,  out  of 
which  he  might  repair  his  accidental  losses,  or  be 
enabled  to  meet,  now  and  then,  some  unexpected  call. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  he  says,  "that  activity  and 
cheerfulness  are  so  nearly  allied,  that  we  can  hardly 
take  a  more  effectual  method  to  secure  the  latter, 
than  to  cultivate  the  former,  especially  where  it  is 
employed  to  sow  the  seed  of  an  immortal  harvest." 

Yet.  with  all  his  weightier  cares,  the  humblest  of 
his  flock  found  access  to  him,  and  he  could  turn  away 
pleasantly  from  his  most  favorite  studies  to  hear  their 
sorrows,  to  comfort,  and  to  counsel  them.  In  short,  his 
life  abounded  with  those  "sweet  courtesies"  which 
his  kindly  nature  no  doubt  rendered  easy  to  him,  but 
which  he  never  ceased  to  cultivate  in  himself  or  com- 
mend in  others.  "I  know  that  these  things  are  mere 
trifles  in  themselves,"  saith  he,  "but  they  are  the 
outguards  of  humanity  and  friendship,  and  effec- 
tually prevent  many  a  rude  attack,  which,  though 
small,  might  end  in  fatal  consequences." 

"And  as  a  husband,"  he  says,  "may  I  particu- 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES.  29 

larly  avoid  every  thing  which  has  the  appearance  of 
pettishness,  to  which,  amidst  my  various  cares  and 
labors,  I  may  in  some  unguarded  moment  be  liable. 
May  it  be  my  daily  care  to  keep  up  the  spirit  of 
religion  in  conversation  with  my  wife,  to  recommend 
her  to  the  divine  blessing,  and  to  manifest  an  oblig- 
ing and  tender  disposition  towards  her ;  and  as  a 
father,  may  it  be  my  care  to  intercede  for  my  children 
daily,  to  endeavor  to  bring  them  early  to  communion 
with  the  church,  and  to  study  to  oblige  them  and 
secure  their  affections." 

But  busy  as  the  preacher,  the  pastor,  and  the 
father  must  now  be,  Dr.  Watts  singled  him  out  to 
do  a  work  which  it  had  long  been  one  of  his  own 
chief  desires  to  execute,  but  which  his  increasing  in- 
firmities now  warned  him  to  relinquish.  It  was  to 
prepare  a  small  volume  upon  practical  and  experi- 
mental religion  for  popular  use. 

"In  the  doctrines  of  divinity  and  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  I  know  not  any  man  of  greater  skill  than  him- 
self," says  the  doctor  of  his  friend  and  favorite,  "or 
hardly  sufficient  to  be  his  second,  as  he  hath  a  most 
exact  acquaintance  with  the  things  of  God  and  our 
holy  religion,  and  he  hath  a  most  happy  manner  of 
teaching  those  who  are  younger.  He  is  a  most  affec- 
tionate preacher  and  pathetic  writer ;  and  in  a  word, 
since  I  am  now  advanced  in  age,  beyond  my  seven- 
tieth year,  if  there  were  any  person  to  whom  Provi- 
dence would  suffer  me  to  commit  a  second  part  of 
my  life  and  usefulness,  Doddridge  would  be  the  man ; 
besides  all  th he  possesseth  a  spirit  of  so  much  char- 


30 


LADY  HUJTIINGTON. 


ity,  love,  and  goodness  towards  his  fellow- Christians 
who  may  fall  into  some  lesser  differences  of  opinion, 
as  becometh  a  follower  of  the  blessed  Jesus." 

Doddridge  declined  the  work  on  account  of  his 
manifold  duties,  until  he  dared  no  longer  to  resist  the 
urgency  of  his  venerable  friend.  He  consented  to 
undertake  it,  and  in  1745  the  book  was  issued,  dedi- 
cated to  Dr.  Watts,  and  called,  "The  Rise  and  Prog- 
ress of  Religion  in  the  Soul."  The  gratified  doctor 
pronounced  it  a  most  excellent  performance,  "its  ded- 
ication being  the  only  thing  he  felt  disposed  to  find 
fault  with."  The  little  book  has  preached  all  over 
Christendom  :  to-day  it  is  telling  the  story  of  the 
cross  in  ten  thousand  homes,  and  multitudes,  we  may 
well  suppose,  like  Wilber  force  and  Stonehouse,  have 
reason  to  bless  God  for  its  searching  appeals. 

At  the  advent  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  the  inter- 
ests of  genuine  piety  seem  to  have  been  at  as  low  an 
ebb  among  the  dissenting  churches  as  among  the 
Episcopal,  though  in  each  there  were  beacon-lights 
on  the  black  shores  of  indifference  and  scepticism. 
If  Burnet  could  grievously  exclaim,  "When  I  see  the 
gross  ignorance  of  those  who  apply  for  ordination,  and 
the  want  of  piety  and  scriptural  knowledge  in  those 
already  in  the  sacred  office,  these  things  pierce  my 
soul  and  make  me  cry  out,  '  Oh,  that  I  had  wings 
like  a  dove,  for  then  would  I  fly  away  and  be  at  rest.' 
What  are  we  like  to  grow  to  ?  How  are  we  to  deal 
with  adversaries,  or  in  any  way  promote  the  honor  of 
God  and  carry  on  the  great  concerns  of  the  gospel, 
when,  in  the  fundamentals  of  religion,  those  who  ought 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES.  31 

to  teach  others  need  to  be  themselves  taught  the  first 
principles  of  the  oracles  of  Grod."  No  less  mournful 
utterances  come  up  from  the  bosom  of  dissent.  Hear 
its  voice  of  lament.  "  The  dissenting  interest  is  not 
like  itself.  I  hardly  know  it.  It  used  to  be  famous 
for  faith,  holiness,  and  love.  I  knew  the  time  when 
I  had  no  doubt,  into  whatever  place  of  worship  I  went 
among  dissenters,  but  that  my  heart  would  be  warmed 
and  edified,  and  my  edification  promoted.  Now  I 
hear  prayers  and  sermons  which  I  neither  relish  nor 
understand.  Evangelical  truth  and  duty  are  quite 
old-fashioned  things ;  many  pulpits  are  not  so  much 
as  chaste ;  one's  ears  are  so  dinned  with  '  reason,' 
'  the  great  law  of  reason,'  and  4  the  eternal  law  of 
reason,'  that  it  is  enough  to  put  one  out  of  conceit 
with  the  chief  excellency  of  our  nature,  because  it  is 
idolized,  and  even  deified.  How  prone  are  men  to 
extremes.  0  for  the  purity  of  our  fountains,  the 
wisdom  and  diligence  of  our  tutors,  the  humility, 
piety,  and  teachableness  of  our  youth." 

Such  were  the  voices  of  those  crying  like  Ishmael 
in  the  wilderness,  because  the  fountains  were  dried 
up.  The  causes  which  had  produced  so  general  a 
decay  in  vital  piety,  it  hardly  falls  within  our  prov- 
ince to  describe.  "We  regard  it  as  one  of  the  signs 
of  the  times,  and  descry  in  it  the  Lord  near  at  hand, 
mighty  to  save.  How  did  the  true  Israel  of  God 
sit  solitary,  weeping  sore  in  the  night.  How  did  the 
ways  of  Zion  mourn,  because  none  came  to  her  solemn 
feasts. 

Hark  !  in  the  distance  the  heralds  cry,  "  Prepare 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,"  and  the  voice  of  promise 
comes  richly  laden :  "  Thy  light  shall  break  forth  as 
the  morning,  and  thy  health  shall  spring  forth  speed- 
ily. The  glory  of  G-od  shall  be  thy  rereward.  Then 
shalt  thou  call,  and  the  Lord  shall  answer ;  thou 
shalt  cry,  and  he  shall  say,  Here  am  I.  And  if  thou 
draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the 
afflicted  soul,  then  shall  thy  light  arise  in  obscurity, 
and  thy  darkness  be  as  the  noonday ;  and  the  Lord 
shall  guide  thee  continually,  and  satisfy  thy  soul  in 
drought,  and  make  fat  thy  bones  :  and  thou  shalt  be 
like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water 
whose  waters  fail  not.  And  they  that  shall  be  of  thee 
shall  build  the  old  waste  places :  thou  shalt  raise  up 
the  foundations  of  many  generations ;  and  thou  shalt 
be  called,  The  repairer  of  the  breach,  The  restorer  of 
paths  to  dwell  in." 

Thus  do  the  glorious  foreshadowings  of  holy  writ 
adapt  themselves  to  every  period  of  Zion's  enlarge- 
ment :  they  come  forth  now  to  meet  and  make  strong 
the  chosen  instruments  of  this  great  awakening. 

How  did  the  dissenting  churches  of  England 
receive  the  new  preachers  ?  Did  they  rejoice  and 
say,  "  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the 
feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publish- 
eth  salvation  ?"  Some  stood  aloof,  caring  for  none  of 
these  things ;  others  spoke  bitterly.  Others  asked, 
"  Whereunto  will  this  grow  ?"  Others  laid  all  to 
the  charge  of  enthusiasm,  and  thought  themselves 
doing  Grod  service.  "I  cannot  but  think,"  saith  Dod- 
dridge, "that  by  the  success  of  some  of  these  de- 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES.  33 

spised  men,  God  is  rebuking  the  madness  of  those 
who  think  themselves  the  only  wise  men,  and  in  a 
remarkable  manner  laying  bare  his  mighty  arm." 
"  There  may  indeed  be,  and  often  is,  a  tincture  of 
enthusiasm  in  some  extraordinary  conversions;  but 
having  weighed  the  matter  diligently,  I  think  a  man 
had  better  be  a  sober,  honest,  chaste,  industrious 
enthusiast,  than  live  without  any  regard  to  Grod  and 
religion  at  all.  I  think  it  infinitely  better  for  a  man 
to  be  a  religious  Methodist,  than  an  adulterer,  a  thief, 
a  swearer,  a  drunkard,  or  a  rebel  to  his  parents,  as  I 
knew  some  actually  were  who  have  been  wrought 
upon  and  reformed  by  these  preachers." 

Doddridge  was  severely  censured  by  his  brethren 
for  his  ready  recognition  of  Whitefield  and  Wesley,  as 
true  reapers  in  the  Lord's  harvest.  Angry  and  threat- 
ening letters  were  sent  to  him  from  various  quarters, 
and  fears  were  entertained  lest  his  catholicity  might 
prove  ruinous  to  the  institution  under  his  charge ; 
for  he  not  only  grasped  them  by  the  hand  and  bade 
them  Grod  speed  on  their  glorious  mission,  but  on  com- 
ing to  London  he  appeared  in  their  pulpits. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  had  many  questions  asked 
me  about  your  preaching  in  the  Tabernacle,"  wrote 
Dr.  "Watts  anxiously,  yet  tenderly,  "  and  sinking  the 
character  of  a  clergyman,  and  especially  a  tutor  among 
the  dissenters,  so  low  thereby.  I  find  many  of  our 
friends  entertain  this  idea ;  but  I  give  no  answer,  not 
knowing  how  much  you  may  have  been  engaged  there. 
I  pray  Grod  to  guard  us  from  every  temptation." 

Not  long  afterwards,  Lady  Huntington,  Lady 


34 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Frances  Gardiner,  Doddridge,  and  Mr.  Price  were 
dining  with  Lady  Abney.  The  conversation  natu- 
rally turned  upon  the  remarkable  religious  move- 
ments of  the  day,  when  they  were  candidly  discussed, 
and  all,  from  their  separate  points  of  observation, 
related  what  their  eyes  had  seen  and  their  ears  had 
heard. 

"  Such  are  the  fruits,"  exclaimed  the  doctor,  his 
small  grey  eyes  brightening  with  the  intensity  of  his 
interest,  "that  will  ever  follow  the  faithful  proclama- 
tion of  divine  mercy.  The  Lord  our  God  will  crown 
his  message  with  success,  and  give  it  an  abundant 
entrance  into  the  hearts  of  men.  It  is  a  blessing 
such  men  have  been  raised  up."  Doddridge  prob- 
ably did  not  receive  another  reproof.  Dr.  Watts 
afterwards  became  acquainted  with  Whitefield,  who 
received  his  almost  dying  benediction,  having  paid 
him  a  visit  a  few  hours  before  his  death  in  1749. 

"  The  nation  hath  been  much  alarmed  of  late 
with  reports  concerning  the  growth  and  increase  of 
Methodism,"  said  one  of  the  church  of  England. 
"  Would  we  put  a  stop  to  the  further  progress  of  it  ? 
There  is  one  way  by  which  it  may  be  done,  and  let 
us  of  the  established  church  join  heart  and  hand  in 
the  work,  namely,  to  live  more  holily,  pray  more  fer- 
vently, preach  more  heavenly,  and  labor  more  dili- 
gently than  the  Methodist  ministers  appear  to  do. 
Then  shall  we  soon  hear  that  field-preaching  is  at  an 
end,  and  people  will  flock  to  the  churches  to  hear  us, 
as  they  now  flock  to  the  fields  to  hear  them." 

To  this  Doddridge  heartily  responded,  "And  let 


A  GLANCE  AT  FAMILIAR  FACES.  35 

us  of  the  dissenting  churches  go  and  do  likewise." 
His  earnest  prayer  was  for  greater  union  and  har- 
mony among  Protestant  Christians.  "  0  for  that 
happy  time,"  sighed  this  healer  of  breaches,  "  when 
the  question  shall  be,  not  how  much  we  may  lawfully 
dispute,  but  on  the  one  side,  what  may  we  waive) 
and  on  the  other,  what  may  we  acquiesce  in,  from  a 
principle  of  mutual  tenderness  and  respect,  without 
displeasing  our  common  Lord,  and  injuring  that 
great  cause  of  original  Christianity  which  he  hath 
appointed  us  to  guard.  But,"  he  adds,  "the  dark- 
ness of  our  minds,  the  narrowness  of  our  hearts,  and 
our  attachment  to  private  interest,  will  put  the  day, 
I  fear,  afar  off." 

A  hundred  years  later,  and  we  descry  not  yet  its 
dawn. 


36 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DOING-  AND  SUFFERING. 

Lady  Huntington  took  a  warm  and  active  inter- 
est in  promoting  the  Redeemer's  kingdom;  she  not 
only  lent  her  money  and  her  name,  but  she  gave 
herself  in  personal  efforts  to  seek  and  to  save  them 
which  were  lost.  "  For  a  fortnight  past,"  she  writes 
to  Charles  Wesley,  "  I  have  found  that  instruction, 
and  some  short  exhortations  to  the  weak,  have  been 
of  great  use,  especially  among  my  work  people,  with 
whom  I  spend  a  part  of  every  day.  I  find  much 
comfort  in  this  myself,  and  am  rarely  if  ever  out  of 
the  presence  of  God.  He  is  a  pillar  of  light  before 
me." 

Always  intent  upon  seizing  opportunities  for 
speaking  to  her  dependents,  she  once  addressed  a  la- 
borer at  work  on  the  garden  wall,  pressing  him  with 
affectionate  earnestness  to  consider  eternal  things. 
Some  time  after,  speaking  to  another  upon  the  same 
subject,  she  said,  "Thomas,  I  fear  you  never  pray,  or 
look  to  Christ  for  salvation." 

"  Your  ladyship  is  mistaken,"  replied  the  man ; 
"  I  heard  what  passed  between  you  and  James  at 
the  garden  wall,  and  the  word  you  meant  for  him 
took  effect  on  me." 

"How  did  you  hear  it?"  she  asked. 

"I  heard  it,"  Thomas  answered,  "on  the  other 


DOING-  AND  SUFFERING-. 


37 


side  of  the  garden,  through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  the  impression  I  received." 

In  this  one  little  incident  we  mark  the  germ  of 
that  which  constituted  the  main  element  of  that  spir- 
itual awakening- conquest,  and  conquest  in  the  true 
line  of  Christian  aggression.  An  unfledged  hope,  the 
quiet  possession  of  spiritual  immunities,  a  merely 
christened  profession,  did  not  satisfy  her.  She  must 
not  only  he  fed  with  the  bread  of  life,  hut  she  must 
also  feed  others ;  she  must  not  sit  down  herself  at  the 
Master's  table,  but  go  out  and  compel  others  to  come 
in.  At  all  times  and  everywhere,  men  were  to  be 
rescued  from  sin  and  its  terrible  penalties ;  in  all  the 
glare,  the  activity,  the  interlaced  and  interlacing 
interests  of  the  present  and  outward  life,  only  two 
things  concerned  her — redemption,  and  retribution; 
they  stood  out  bald  and  significant,  charged  with  im- 
mortal issues :  and  all  her  purposes,  all  her  induce- 
ments were  shaped  and  carried  forward  under  the  ur- 
gency of  motives  grand  and  solemn  as  eternity  itself. 
The  folding  of  the  hands,  a  sweet  retirement  into  un- 
worldly places,  a  graceful  withdrawal  from  forbidden 
things,  was  not  her  testimony  to  the  exceeding  sinful- 
ness of  sin.  She  went  from  the  altar  and  the  mercy- 
seat  warmed  with  holy  zeal ;  her  presence  aroused 
the  moral  consciousness  of  the  most  dormant ;  her 
whole  life  was  a  constant  exhortation,  "  Turn  ye, 
turn  ye  ;  for  why  will  ye  die  ?" 

In  1744,  the  earl's  family  was  afflicted  by  the 
loss  of  two  beautiful  boys,  George  and  Fernando, 
who  died  of  small-pox,  then  prevailing  at  London. 


38 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


With  domestic  sorrow  then  mingled  public  anxiety, 
the  whole  country  being  agitated  by  the  last  despe- 
rate effort  of  the  exiled  Stuarts  to  regain  the  throne 
of  England.  The  nation  was  filled  with  alarms  and 
rumors.  In  many  of  the  larger  towns  riots  occurred, 
in  which  the  Methodist  preachers  were  sometimes 
rudely  attacked  and  grossly  insulted. 

On  one  occasion  Charles  "Wesley  was  summoned 
before  the  magistrates  of  Wakefield  to  answer  for 
treasonable  words  let  fall  in  prayer,  wherein  he  be- 
sought the  Lord  to  recall  his  "banished"  ones,  which 
was  construed  to  mean  the  Pretender. 

"  I  had  no  thought  of  the  Pretender,"  said  the  ac- 
cused to  the  official,  "but  of  those  who  confess  them- 
selves strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth,  who  seek 
a  country,  knowing  this  is  not  their  home.  The 
scripture  speaks  of  us  as  captive  exiles,  who  are  not 
at  home  until  we  reach  heaven."  The  judges  wise- 
ly accepted  the  spiritual  interpretation,  and  let  the 
prisoner  go. 

In  the  struggle  which  followed,  Col.  Gardiner  lost 
his  life.  On  parting  with  his  wife  and  eldest  daugh- 
ter at  Stirling  castle,  previous  to  the  fatal  engage- 
ment at  Prestonpans,  Lady  Frances  was  more  than 
ordinarily  affected  :  instead  of  offering  his  accustom- 
ed consolations,  and  inspiring  hope  by  his  own  cheer- 
fulness, he  only  said,  "We  have  an  eternity  to  spend 
together." 

The  fall  of  this  excellent  man  not  only  bereaved 
a  large  and  fond  family,  but  spread  sorrow  over  a 
wide  circle  of  friends,  and  sadness  through  the  na- 


DOING-  AND  SUFFERING-. 


S9 


tion.  Heavy  are  the  costs  of  war — "  and  heavy  is 
this  affliction  to  Lady  Frances  and  the  children/'  ex- 
claimed Lady  Huntington  ;  "  but  he  has  gone  to  the 
great  Captain  of  his  salvation,  to  sing  the  wonders  of 
that  love  which  hath  redeemed  him,  and  made  him 
meet  for  the  saints  in  light."  So  does  "hope  in 
Christ"  point  heavenward.  Doddridge  preached  an 
impressive  sermon  upon  the  occasion,  which  was 
afterwards  published,  and  a  hundred  copies  sent  to 
Lady  Huntington  for  circulation.  At  a  later  date 
appeared  his  well-known  memoir,  which  has  been 
read  and  reread  all  over  the  world. 

AYithin  less  than  a  year,  Lady  Frances  G-ardiner 
was  called  to  reciprocate  the  sympathies  of  her 
friend.  Earl  Huntington  died  of  apoplexy  on  the 
13th  of  October,  1746,  at  his  mansion  in  Downing- 
street,  Westminster,  aged  fifty,  leaving  his  wife  at 
the  age  of  thirty-nine  in  the  sole  charge  of  his  family 
and  fortune.  He  was  a  man  of  unblemished  charac- 
ter, and  though  not  a  believer  in  the  distinctive  the- 
ology of  his  wife,  he  courteously  entertained  her  re- 
ligious friends,  and  listened  with  admiration  to  the 
eloquent  preachers  of  that  day.  "The  morality  of 
the  Bible  I  admire,"  he  says,  "but  the  doctrine  of 
the  atonement  I  cannot  understand." 

His  sisters  were  eminent  for  their  piety,  and  Mar- 
garet became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Ingham, 
whose  preaching  first  led  her  to  the  Saviour.  After 
the  earPs  death,  the  family  retired  to  Donnington 
Park,  where  the  countess  spent  in  privacy  the  first 
six  months  of  her  widowhood.    Some  extracts  from 


40 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


her  letters  to  Doddridge  admit  us  to  the  inner  sanc- 
tuary of  her  heart. 

"  I  hope  you  will  never  care  about  the  ceremony 
of  time  in  your  letters  to  me,  but  just  when  attended 
with  greatest  ease  to  yourself,  for  we  both  agree  that 
the  one  thing  worth  living  for  must  be,  proclaiming 
the  love  of  God  to  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  As  for  me, 
I  want  no  holiness  he  does  not  give  me ;  I  can  wish 
for  no  liberty  but  what  he  likes  for  me,  and  I  am 
satisfied  with  every  misery  he  does  not  redeem  me 
from,  that  in  all  things  I  may  feel,  'without  him  I 
can  do  nothing.' 

"  My  family  consists  of  two  sons  and  as  many 
daughters ;  for  all  of  them  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
to  praise  God.  The  children  of  so  many  prayers  and 
tears,  I  doubt  not  shall  one  day  be  blest,  your  prayers 
for  us  all  helping.  The  hint  you  gave  me  is  great 
matter  of  joy  to  me  ;  my  soul  longeth  for  grace. 

"May  the  Lord  give  us  all  such  love,  to  live  and 
to  die  to  him,  and  for  him  alone.  I  am,  with  most 
kind  respects  for  Mrs.  Doddridge,  your  most  sincere, 
but  weak  and  unworthy  friend, 

"  S.  H." 

Again  she  writes,  "Some  important  time  is  com- 
ing. Oh,  might  I  hope  it  is  that  time  when  all 
things  shall  be  swallowed  up  by  the  enlightening 
and  comforting  displays  of  our  glorious  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  My  hopes  are  not  only  full  of  immortal- 
ity, but  of  this.  Your  works  are  blessed,  and  God  is 
making  you  a  polished  shaft  in  his  quiver.  I  want 
every  body  to  pray  with  yoa  and  for  you,  that  you 


DOING  AND  SUFFERING-. 


41 


may  wax  stronger  and  stronger.  I  have  had  a  letter 
from  Lord  Bolingbroke,  who  says,  1 1  desire  my  com- 
pliments and  thanks  to  Dr.  Doddridge,  and  I  hope 
I  shall  continue  to  deserve  his  good  opinion.' " 

During  the  lifetime  of  the  earl,  Lady  Huntington's 
time  was  necessarily  engrossed  by  many  cares,  which 
withheld  her  from  the  friends  and  the  interests  which 
lay  nearest  to  her  heart.  As  mistress  of  his  princely 
mansions,  she  had  duties  to  general  society  which 
could  not  be  slighted ;  respect  and  affection  for  him 
controlled  her  private  preferences,  and  without  mak- 
ing her  disloyal  to  her  religious  convictions,  blended 
her  interests  with  his  own.  The  tie  is  now  broken : 
she  meekly  bears  the  chastisement ;  more  than  ever 
she  feels  herself  a  stranger  and  a  pilgrim  in  the  pres- 
ent and  outward  world ;  more  than  ever  she  feels 
herself  a  subject  of  that  spiritual  kingdom  which 
Christ  came  to  set  up ;  and  henceforth  we  find  un- 
folding that  lofty  energy  of  character,  which  has 
identified  her  name  with  the  revived  Christianity  of 
her  day. 

Returning  again  to  society,  Lady  Huntington 
may  be  seen  journeying  through  Wales.  The  party 
is  large,  composed  of  her  two  daughters,  her  sisters 
Anne  and  Frances  Hastings,  several  clergymen,  and 
other  religious  friends.  Is  it  a  jaunt  of  pleasure  ?  a 
tour  of  aimless  excitement  ?  a  seeing  of  new  things  for 
the  sake  of  killing  time  ? 

Let  us  first  pause  and  look  around  on  the  moral 
wastes  of  this  English  soil.  "While  there  was  little 
zeal  in  the  great  body  of  the  clergy,"  says  Southey, 


■12 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


"many  causes  combined  which  rendered  this  want 
of  zeal  more  and  more  injurious.  The  population 
had  doubled  since  the  settlement  of  the  church  un- 
der Elizabeth,  yet  no  provision  had  been  made  for  in- 
creasing proportionally  the  means  of  moral  and  re- 
ligious instruction,  which  in  the  beginning  had  been 
insufficient.  In  reality,  though  the  temporal  advan- 
tages of  Christianity  extended  to  all  classes,  the  great 
majority  of  the  populace  knew  nothing  more  of  re- 
ligion than  its  forms.  They  had  been  Papists  for- 
merly, and  now  were  Protestants,  but  they  had  never 
been  Christians.  The  Reformation  had  taken  away 
the  ceremonies  to  which  they  were  attached,  and  sub- 
stituted nothing  in  their  stead.  There  was  the  Bible 
indeed,  but  to  the  great  body  of  the  laboring  people, 
the  Bible  was  even  in  the  letter  a  sealed  book." 

Here  then  was  the  rudeness  of  the  peasantry,  the 
brutality  of  the  town  populace,  the  prevalence  of 
drunkenness,  the  growth  of  impiety,  a  general  dead- 
ness  to  religion ;  and  it  was  this  brutish  ignorance, 
this  stiff-necked  degradation,  this  famine  of  the  word 
of  Grod  and  all  means  of  moral  elevation,  which  at 
once  demanded  the  labors  of  such  men  as  Whitefield, 
Wesley,  and  their  coadjutors,  and  inspired  them  with 
that  resistless  zeal  which  made  their  preaching  like 
the  fire  and  the  hammer  upon  the  flinty  rock.  Every- 
where, on  all  sides,  was  spiritual  want ;  it  was  not 
only  seen  among  the  abandoned,  but  felt  in  the 
general  indifference  to  religion  among  the  mid- 
dling classes,  in  the  sceptical  spirit  which  pervaded 
the  higher,  and  the  almost  total  lack  of  earnestness 


DOING  AND  SUFFERING. 


43 


in  professed  Christians,  both  among  the  clergy  and 
laity. 

What  a  demand  for  laborers  on  this  harvest-field. 
The  single  and  uppermost  thought  of  those  raised  up 
of  Grod  and  sent  to  these  famishing  multitudes  was, 
"  To  the  rescue."  Their  simple  and  heartfelt  mes- 
sage was,  "Repent,  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  This  was  not  only  the  pervading  element 
of  the  preachers,  but  also  of  private  Christians.  As 
Christ  came  to  seek  and  to  save  them  which  were 
lost,  so  must  his  disciples  go  forth  bearing  his  invita- 
tions of  mercy,  leading  men  from  sin  and  shame  to 
those  ways  which  are  pleasantness,  and  to  those  paths 
which  are  peace. 

So  felt  Lady  Huntington.  The  party  set  out 
from  Bath,  and  in  its  journey  through  Wales  travelled 
slowly,  stopping  at  the  towns  and  villages  on  the  route, 
in  order  to  give  the  preachers  an  opportunity  of  ad- 
dressing the  people  whenever  a  congregation  could  be 
gathered.    Multitudes  flocked  to  hear  them. 

Indeed,  the  preachers  knew  something  of  their 
hearers :  one  of  them  was  Griffith  Jones  of  Aber- 
cowyn,  author  of  a  plan  for  instructing  his  country- 
men, known  as  the  "  Welsh  circulating  schools." 
The  ignorance  and  heathenism  of  the  peasantry  he 
had  deeply  deplored.  On  his  first  settlement  in 
1711,  before  he  admitted  communicants,  he  began 
by  carefully  examining  them  in  Christian  doctrine ; 
but  he  soon  found  that  those  who  most  needed  the 
instruction,  men  grown  up  in  ignorance,  were  un- 
willing to  attend,  because  unable  to  answer  the  ques- 


J  4 


LADY  HUNTING-ION. 


tions  put  to  them.  He  then  fixed  upon  Saturday 
before  the  communion  for  distributing  to  the  poor 
their  supply  of  bread,  bought  with  the  money  col- 
lected at  the  previous  communion.  These  he  gath- 
ered into  a  class,  and  by  his  great  kindness  of  man- 
ner won  their  confidence  and  love,  until  he  at  last 
encouraged  them  to  learn  short  lessons  from  the  Bible. 
Thus  it  became  a  custom  among  his  poor  parishioners 
to  repeat  a  verse  of  Scripture  on  receiving  their 
monthly  allowance  of  bread.  By  this  direct  and  per- 
sonal intercourse  with  the  poor,  he  learned  how  vague 
and  imperfect  were  their  notions  of  Christianity,  and 
how  little  the  Sabbath  service  could  effect,  without 
the  aid  of  other  means  of  instruction.  With  this 
data  he  resolved  to  act,  and  his  first  school  was  estab- 
lished in  1730  in  one  of  his  parishes,  Llanddowror. 
Another  soon  followed ;  and  these  were  attended  with 
results  so  obviously  good,  that  he  soon  received  the 
cooperation  of  several  efficient  persons,  and  a  generous 
donation  of  Bibles  and  other  books  from  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge. 

In  ten  years,  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  schools 
were  in  operation,  with  nearly  eight  thousand  per- 
sons taught  to  read  the  Scriptures  in  the  "Welsh  lan- 
guage, catechized,  instructed  intpsalmody,  and  under 
the  general  supervision  of  Christian  schoolmasters, 
trying  in  various  ways  to  promote  their  best  good. 
Griffith  Jones  was  a  popular  as  well  as  a  faithful 
preacher  ;  his  greatest  excellence  was  "  gavaelgar  ar 
y  gydwybod,"  or  a  grasp  on  the  conscience ;  and 
accustomed  as  he  had  been  to  preaching-tours,  and 


DOING-  AND  SUFFERING. 


45 


gray  as  he  had  grown  in  the  service  of  his  hardy 
countrymen,  his  very  presence  was  like  the  ringing 
of  the  sabhath  bells  for  the  people  to  come  and 
hear. 

Beside  him  is  a  younger  brother,  a  Welsh  Boa- 
nerges, Howel  Harris.  Greet  him  and  cherish  him, 
for  he  deserves  well  of  those  who  love  the  Lord. 
Though  destined  for  the  church,  he  received  no  seri- 
ous impressions  until  twenty-one,  when  this  passage 
from  a  sermon,  "  If  you  are  unfit  to  visit  the  table  of 
the  Lord,  you  are  unfit  to  visit  the  church,  you  are 
unfit  to  live  and  unfit  to  die,"  fastened  powerfully 
upon  his  conscience.  On  his  way  from  church,  meet- 
ing a  person  whom  he  had  wronged,  he  instantly 
confessed  his  fault  and  begged  to  be  forgiven;  and 
though  fears  and  remorse  for  a  long  time  darkened 
his  soul,  he  stoutly  determined  to  give  himself  to  the 
service  of  God,  and  began  to  warn  his  neighbors  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  In  1735  he  returned 
to  Oxford  to  complete  his  studies,  but  the  immorali- 
ties of  the  university  disgusted  him,  and  he  returned 
home.  He  betook  himself  henceforth  to  the  poor  of 
his  native  land.  In  the  cottage  and  the  field  he  is 
preaching  the  doctrines  of  the  cross.  So  many  came 
to  him  for  instruction,  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  ho 
formed  them  into  societies.  "  In  the  formation  of 
these,"  he  tells  us,  "  I  followed  the  rules  of  Dr.  Wood- 
ward, in  a  book  written  by  him  on  the  subject.  Pre- 
viously to  this,  no  societies  of  the  kind  had  been 
founded  either  in  England  or  Wales.  The  English 
Methodists  had  not  become  famous  as  yet,  although, 


46 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


as  I  afterwards  learned,  several  of  them  in  Oxford 
were  at  that  time  under  strong  religious  influences." 

They  were  not  organized  either  as  Methodist  or 
dissenting  congregations,  nor  indeed  with  any  view 
of  their  ever  separating  from  the  church.  The  revival 
of  religion  in  the  church  was  his  avowed  purpose  at 
first,  and  his  proposed  object  through  life. 

In  1739  Whitefield  and  Harris  met  for  the  first 
time  in  the  town-hall  of  Cardiff,  where  the  former, 
fresh  from  the  glowing  scenes  of  Bristol,  poured  forth 
his  impassioned  eloquence  to  his  Welsh  auditory, 
among  whom  was  Howel  Harris.  Of  the  mutual 
delight  afforded  by  the  interview,  which  immediately 
afterwards  took  place,  Whitefield  said  characteris- 
tically, "  I  doubt  not  Satan  envied  our  happiness ; 
but  I  hope  by  the  help  of  Grod  we  shall  make  his 
kingdom  shake." 

Such  then  were  the  men  attached  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington's party.  On  arriving  at  Trevecca,  Brecknock- 
shire, the  birthplace  of  Howel  Harris,  they  remained 
several  days,  the  preachers  addressing,  four  or  five  times 
a  day,  immense  crowds,  who  came  from  all  the  coun- 
try round  about.  Twenty  years  afterwards,  Trevecca 
was  one  of  the  principal  centres  of  the  countess' 
influence. 

"Ona  review  of  all  that  I  have  seen  and  heard," 
exclaimed  she,  on  their  return  home,  "I  am  constrain- 
ed to  cry,  '  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  all  that  is 
within  me  bless  his  holy  name.'  The  sermons  con- 
tained the  most  solemn  and  awful  truths,  such  as  the 
utter  ruin  of  man  by  the  fall  and  his  redemption  by 


DOING  AND  SUFFERING. 


47 


the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  energetic  declaration  of 
which  produced  quite  a  sensible  effect  on  many, 
who,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  were  brought  from 
nature's  darkness  to  the  marvellous  light  of  the  all- 
glorious  gospel.  My  earnest  prayer  to  Grod  for  them 
is,  that  they  may  continue  in  his  grace  and  truth." 

Of  a  journey  thus  conducted,  we  cannot  but  regret 
that  the  only  memorials  are  the  brief  sketches  of  a 
hastily  penned  journal  by  Lady  Frances  Hastings. 
Though  undertaken  for  the  countess'  health,  it  seems 
really  to  have  been  a  home  missionary  tour ;  a  rare 
union,  we  may  venture  to  assert,  in  those  days  as 
well  as  our  own,  when  travelling,  even  among  pro- 
fessing Christians,  is  too  often  a  time  for  "  casting  off 
fear  and  restraining  prayer." 

Not  long  after  the  countess'  return,  Doddridge 
paid  a  visit  to  London.  During  his  stay  he  thus 
writes  to  his  wife :  "I  can  conclude  by  telling  you 
that  I  am  at  the  close  of  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
days  I  shall  ever  spend  without  you.  After  an  hour's 
charming  conversation  with  Lady  Huntington  and 
Mrs.  Edwin,  I  preached  in  her  family  by  express  de- 
sire, and  met  Colonel  Crumley,  who  is  really  a  second 
Colonel  G-ardiner.  After  dinner  the  ladies  entertained 
us  with  their  voices  and  a  harpsichord,  with  which  I 
was  highly  delighted  ;  and  I  have  stolen  a  hymn 
which  I  believe  to  have  been  written  by  good  Lady 
Huntington,  and  which  I  shall  not  fail  to  communi- 
cate to  you.  She  is  quite  a  mother  to  the  poor ;  she 
visits  them  and  prays  with  them  in  sickness,  and 
they  leave  their  children  to  her  for  a  legacy  when 


48  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

they  die,  and  she  takes  care  of  them.  I  was  really 
astonished  at  the  traces  of  religion  which  I  discovered 
in  her  and  Mrs.  Edwin,  and  cannot  but  glorify  Grod 
for  them.  More  cheerfulness  I  never  saw  mingled 
with  so  much  devotion.  Lady  Frances  Gardiner 
sets  out  on  Monday  next.  I  have  taken  my  leave 
of  her." 


WHITEFIELD. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WHITEFIELD. 

In  1728  there  was  a  young  man  struggling  through 
Oxford,  paying  his  way  as  servitor  at  Pembroke  col- 
lege. "At  first  he  was  rendered  uncomfortable  by 
the  society  into  which  he  was  thrown  :  he  had  several 
chamber-fellows,  who  would  fain  have  made  him  join 
in  their  riotous  mode  of  life ;  and  as  he  could  only 
escape  from  their  persecutions  by  sitting  alone  in  his 
study,  he  was  sometimes  benumbed  with  cold ;  but 
when  they  perceived  the  strength  as  well  as  the  sin- 
gularity of  his  character,  they  suffered  him  to  take 
his  own  way  in  peace." 

Before  he  came  to  Oxford,  he  had  heard  of  the 
young  men  there  "who  lived  by  rule  and  method," 
and  were  therefore  called  Methodists.  They  were 
now  much  talked  of,  and  generally  despised.  He, 
however,  was  drawn  towards  them  by  kindred  feel- 
ings, defended  them  strenuously  when  he  heard  them 
reviled,  and  when  he  saw  them  go  through  a  jeering 
crowd  to  receive  the  Lord's  supper  at  St.  Marys,  was 
strongly  inclined  to  follow  their  example.  For  more 
than  a  year  he  yearned  to  be  acquainted  with  them, 
but  it  seems  that  a  sense  of  his  inferior  condition  kept 
him  back.  At  length  the  great  object  of  his  desires 
was  effected.  A  pauper  had  attempted  suicide,  and 
he  sent  a  poor  woman  to  inform  Charles  "Wesley,  that 

Huntington.  3 


50 


LADY  HUNTING-TON . 


ho  might  visit  the  person  and  administer  spiritual 
medicine  ;  the  messenger  was  charged  not  to  say  who 
sent  her  ;  contrary  to  these  orders  she  told  his  name, 
and  Charles  Wesley,  who  had  seen  him  frequently 
walking  by  himself,  and  heard  something  of  his  char- 
acter, invited  him  to  breakfast  the  next  morning.  An 
introduction  to  this  little  fellowship  soon  followed,  and 
he  also,  like  them,  "  began  to  live  by  rule,  and  pick 
up  the  very  fragments  of  his  time,  that  not  a  moment 
of  it  might  be  lost." 

This  young  man  was  George  Whitefield,  and  thus 
has  the  graphic  pen  of  Wesley's  biographer  described 
his  first  introduction  to  that  little  society,  whose  mem- 
bers afterwards  stamped  their  influence  so  broadly  on 
that  and  subsequent  time. 

After  leaving  Oxford  and  taking  deacon's  orders, 
he  began  to  preach  at  Bristol,  and  exhibit  that  impas- 
sioned eloquence  which  moved  and  melted  both  the 
old  world  and  the  new.  He  preached  about  five  times 
a  week  to  such  congregations  that  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  he  could  make  his  way  along  the 
crowded  aisles  to  the  reading-desk.  "Some  hung 
upon  the  rails  of  the  organ-loft,  others  climbed  upon 
the  leads  of  the  church,  and  all  together  made  the 
church  so  hot  with  their  breath,  that  the  steam  would 
fall  from  the  pillars  like  drops  of  rain."  When  he 
preached  his  farewell-sermon,  and  said  to  the  people 
that  perhaps  they  might  see  his  face  no  more,  high  and 
low,  old  and  young,  burst  into  tears.  Multitudes,  after 
the  sermon,  followed  him  home  weeping ;  the  next 
day  he  was  employed  from  seven  in  the  morning  un- 


WHITEFIELD. 


51 


til  midnight  in  talking  and  giving  spiritual  advice  to 
awakened  hearers  ;  and  he  left  Bristol  secretly  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  to  avoid  the  ceremony  of  being 
escorted  by  horsemen  and  coaches  out  of  the  town. 

While  at  London  it  was  necessary  to  place  con- 
stables at  the  doors,  both  within  and  without,  such 
multitudes  assembled ;  and  on  Sunday  mornings  in 
the  latter  months  of  the  year,  long  before  day,  you 
might  have  seen  the  streets  filled  with  people  going 
to  hear  him,  with  lanterns  in  their  hands. 

"The  man  who  produced  such  extraordinary 
effects,"  says  Southey,  "had  many  natural  advan- 
tages. He  was  something  above  the  middle  stature, 
well  proportioned,  though  at  this  time  slender,  and 
remarkable  for  a  native  gracefulness  of  manner.  His 
complexion  was  very  fair,  his  eyes  small  and  lively,  of 
a  dark  blue  color  ;  in  recovering  from  the  measles,  he 
had  contracted  a  squint  with  one  of  them,  but  this 
peculiarity  rather  rendered  the  expression  of  his  coun- 
tenance more  remarkable,  than  in  any  degree  lessened 
the  effect  of  its  uncommon  sweetness.  His  voice 
excelled  both  in  melody  and  compass,  and  its  fine 
modulations  were  happily  accompanied  by  that  grace 
of  action  which  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree, 
and  which  has  been  said  to  be  the  chief  requisite  of 
an  orator."  Garrick  said  he  could  make  men  weep 
or  tremble  at  his  varied  utterance  of  the  word  Meso- 
potamia. 

To  these  natural  gifts  and  graces  was  added  a 
deep  conviction  of  the  greatness  and  the  grandeur  of 
his  calling,  as  a  messenger  of  G-od.    His  maxim  was 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


to  preach  as  Apelles  painted,  for  eternity.  When  a 
young  man,  Dr.  Delany  once  remarked  in  his  hear- 
ing, "I  wish,  whenever  I  go  into  the  pulpit,  to  look 
upon  it  as  the  last  time  that  I  may  ever  preach,  or 
the  last  time  the  people  may  hear."  This,  Whitefield 
never  forgot.  lie  often  said,  "Would  ministers  preach 
for  eternity,  they  would  act  the  part  of  true  Christian 
orators,  for  then  they  would  endeavor  to  move  the 
affections  and  warm  the  heart,  and  not  constrain  their 
hearers  to  suspect  that  they  dealt  in  the  false  com- 
merce of  unfelt  truth." 

Whitefield  broke  away  from  the  popularity  thus 
strongly  flowing  in  upon  him,  to  follow  his  beloved 
college  companions  the  Wesleys  to  the  new  world  ; 
but  not,  as  he  expected,  to  labor  with  them  in  Georgia, 
for  the  ship  which  carried  him  sailed  from  the  Downs 
only  a  few  hours  before  that  which  brought  Wesley 
home  anchored  on  the  English  coast. 

He  remained  a  year  in  Georgia,  where  he  seems 
not  to  have  experienced  any  of  those  peculiar  trials 
which  hindered  the  usefulness  of  Wesley.  He  returned 
to  England  in  1739,  in  order  to  receive  deacon's 
orders  and  to  raise  contributions  for  the  establishment 
of  an  orphan-house  at  Bethesda,  twelve  miles  from 
Savannah,  after  the  famous  model  of  Professor  Franke's 
in  Halle  ;  the  history  and  success  of  which  seems  to 
have  created  a  profound  interest  among  the  Christians 
of  that  day,  when  charitable  institutions  of  any 
magnitude  scarcely  existed,  and  long  before  the 
great  religious  associations  of  our  time  had  been  con- 
ceived. 


WHITEFIELD. 


53 


Among  the  news  of  this  period,  the  celebrated 
Countess  of  Hereford  thus  writes  to  a  friend  on  the 
continent :  ';I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  heard 
of  a  new  sect,  who  call  themselves  Methodists.  There 
is  one  AVhitefield  at  the  head  of  them,  a  young  man 
of  five  and  twenty,  who  has  for  some  months  gone 
about  preaching  in  the  fields  and  market-places  in 
the  country,  and  in  London  at  May-fair  and  Moor- 
tie  Ids,  to  ten  or  twelve  thousand  people  at  a  time.  He 
went  to  G-eorgia  with  General  Oglethorpe,  and  returned 
to  take  priest's  orders,  which  he  did;  and  I  believe 
since  that  time  hardly  a  day  has  passed  that  he  has 
not  preached  once,  and  generally  twice.  At  first,  he 
and  some  of  his  brethren  seemed  only  to  aim  at  restor- 
ing the  practice  of  the  primitive  Christians  as  to  daily 
sacraments,  stated  fasts,  frequent  prayers,  relieving 
prisoners,  visiting  the  sick,  and  giving  alms  to  the 
poor ;  but  upon  sound  men  refusing  these  men  their 
pulpits,  they  have  betaken  themselves  to  preaching 
in  the  fields,  and  they  have  such  crowds  of  followers, 
that  they  have  set  in  a  flame  all  the  clergy  in  the 
kingdom,  who  represent  them  as  hypocrites  and  en- 
thusiasts. As  to  the  latter  epithet,  some  passages  in 
Mr.  Whitefield's  latest  journals  seem  to  countenance 
the  accusation ;  but  I  think  their  manner  of  living 
has  not  afforded  any  grounds  to  suspect  them  of 
hypocrisy.  The  Bishop  of  London,  however,  has 
thought  it  necessary  to  write  a  pastoral  letter  to  warn 
the  people  of  his  diocese  against  being  led  away  by 
them ;  and  Dr.  Trapp  has  published  a  sermon  upon  '  the 
great  folly  and  danger  of  being  righteous  overmuch,' 


54 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


a  doctrine  which  does  not  seem  absolutely  necessary 
to  be  preached  to  the  people  of  the  present  age." 

It  was  not  until  his  second  visit  to  America  and 
return  to  England,  that  difference  of  theological  views 
began  to  cloud  the  friendship  which  had  subsisted 
between  the  two  distinguished  preachers,  Whitefield 
and  John  "Wesley.  We  should  approach  the  rupture 
with  sadness,  only  as  such  things  "must  needs  be" 
in  our  present  state  of  imperfect  knowledge  and  feeble 
grace. 

While  the  storm  was  brewing,  "  My  honored  friend 
and  brother,"  wrote  Whitefield  to  Wesley,  "for  once 
hearken  to  a  child,  who  is  willing  to  wash  your  feet. 
I  beseech  you,  by  the  mercies  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord,  if  you  would  have  my  love  confirmed  towards 
yon,  write  no  more  to  me  about  the  misrepresentations 
wherein  we  differ.  Why  should  we  dispute,  when 
there  is  no  possibility  of  convincing  ?  Will  it  not  in  the 
end  destroy  brotherly  love,  and  insensibly  take  from 
us  that  cordial  union  and  sweetness  of  soul,  which  I 
pray  God  may  always  subsist  between  us  ?  How  glad 
would  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  be  to  see  us  divided. 
How  would  the  cause  of  our  common  Master  every 
way  suffer  by  our  raising  disputes  about  particular 
points  of  doctrine.  Honored  sir,  let  us  offer  salvation 
freely  to  all  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  whatever  light 
(rod  has  communicated  to  us,  let  us  freely  communi- 
cate to  others." 

Happy  were  it  for  the  Christian  world,  if  the  ad- 
mirable temper  of  this  letter  could  govern  its  divided 
friends  and  clashing  sects;  but  admirable  as  it  was. 


WHITS  FIELD. 


55 


and  however  it  might  have  conciliated  the  resolute 
and  uncompromising  spirit  of  Wesley,  the  breach 
widened,  for  on  hoth  sides  there  were  friends  and 
followers  who  fanned  the  flame,  and  Whitefield  after- 
wards wrote  in  an  altered  and  recriminating  tone. 

"With  such  questions  at  issue,  involving  points  of 
doctrine  which  no  human  intellect  has  ever  mastered, 
a  rupture  became  inevitable.  When  Whitefield  re- 
turned to  the  scene  of  his  early  triumphs,  "  he  came 
to  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not."  His 
Kingswood  school  was  in  the  hands  of  Wesley ;  and 
at  London  a  temporary  shed,  called  the  Tabernacle, 
served  to  shelter  his  spiritual  children  since  their 
exodus  from  the  foundry.  At  this  period  Whitefield 
says  sadly,  "  The  world  is  angry  with  me,  and  num- 
bers of  my  own  spiritual  children.  Some  say,  that 
G  od  will  destroy  me  in  a  fortnight,  and  that  my  fall 
will  be  as  great  as  Peter's.  Scarce  one  comes  to  see 
me  from  morning  till  night,  and  on  Kensington  com- 
mon I  have  not  above  a  hundred  to  hear  me.  I  am 
much  embarrassed  in  my  circumstances.  A  thou- 
sand pounds  I  owe  for  the  orphan-house.  I  am  threat- 
ened to  be  arrested  for  two  hundred  pounds  more. 
My  travelling  expenses  also  are  to  be  defrayed.  A 
family  of  one  hundred  to  be  daily  maintained,  four 
thousand  miles  off,  in  the  dearest  place  of  the  king's 
dominions — all  my  work  is  to  begin  again." 

Their  counsels  divided  and  their  ranks  broken, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  weak  betrayal  of  their  Master's 
cause.  Were  the  Apolloses  and  Cephases  thus  to 
come  in  and  assert  their  shallow  claims,  and  plunder 


56 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


the  church  of  her  men  and  means  ?  It  was  not  so 
to  be. 

In  spite  of  the  dissents  and  jarrings  which  must 
needs  come,  the  leaders  of  that  day  more  truly  com- 
prehended their  mission ;  their  spiritual  gains  were 
not  to  be  scattered,  nor  their  spiritual  strength  wast- 
ed in  a  bitter  household  squabble :  there  was  a  wor- 
thier work  for  them.  Whitefield  and  Wesley  loved  each 
other,  and  the  soul  of  each  glowed  with  the  warm 
charities  of  the  gospel ;  they  loved  a  common  Master, 
whose  cause  lay  nearest  their  hearts,  and  while  each 
proclaimed  its  great  normal  principle,  salvation  by  a 
crucified  Redeemer,  with  a  loving  earnestness,  each 
linked  with  it  his  own  peculiar  system  of  doctrines. 

When  we  see  the  chafing  and  champing  of  world- 
ly and  sometimes  even  religious  men  at  the  ebbing 
of  their  popularity,  it  is  encouraging  to  turn  to  one 
who  not  only  knew  the  solidity  of  his  own  principles, 
but  could  steadily  anchor  on  them  and  calmly  take 
the  surges  and  the  spray. 

"What  is  a  little  scourge  of  the  tongue?"  says 
Whitefield.  "What  is  a  thrusting  out  of  the  syna- 
gogue ?  The  time  of  temptation  will  be,  when  we 
are  thrust  into  an  inner  prison  and  feel  the  iron  enter- 
ing into  our  souls.  God's  people  may  be  permitted 
to  forsake  us  for  a  while,  but  the  Lord  Jesus  can 
stand  by  us.  And  if  thou,  0  dearest  Redeemer, 
wilt  strengthen  me  in  my  inward  man,  let  enemies 
plunge  me  into  a  fiery  furnace,  or  throw  me  into  a 
den  of  lions.  Let  us  suffer  for  Jesus  with  a  cheerful 
heart.  His  love  will  sweeten  every  cup,  though  never 


WHITEF1ELD. 


■57 


so  bitter.  May  all  disputing  soon  cease,  and  each,  of 
us  talk  of  nothing  but  Him  crucified:  this  is  my 
resolution" 

And  his  life  corresponded  to  it,  in  adversity  as 
well  as  in  prosperity.  Herein  was  the  singleness  of 
"Whitefield's  piety :  one  aim  governed  and  sustained 
him  through  a  long  and  laborious  career — and  it  was 
preaching  Christ. 

At  what  time  Lady  Huntington  first  became 
acquainted  with  "VVhitefield  does  not  appear.  On  her 
return  from  Wales,  he  was  expected  in  England  from 
his  third  visit  to  America.  "When  he  landed  at  Deal, 
she  immediately  sent  Howel  Harris  to  bring  him  to 
her  own  house  in  Chelsea,  where  he  preached  to  large 
circles  of  the  gay  world,  who  thronged  this  fashion- 
able watering-place.  For  the  benefit  of  this  class  of 
hearers,  she  soon  after  removed  to  London,  appointed 
Whitefield  her  chaplain,  and  during  the  winter  of 
1748  and  '49  opened  her  splendid  mansion  in  Park- 
street  for  the  ministrations  of  the  gospel. 

"  Grood  Lady  Huntington,"  writes  he,  "  has  come 
to  town,  and  I  am  to  preach  twice  a  week  at  her 
house  to  the  great  and  noble.  0  that  some  of  them 
might  be  effectually  called  to  taste  the  riches  of  re- 
deeming love."  On  the  day  appointed,  Chesterfield, 
Bolingbroke,  and  a  circle  of  the  nobility  attended; 
and  having  heard  him  once,  they  desired  to  come 
again.  "  Lord  Chesterfield  thanked  me,"  he  says. 
"  Lord  Bolingbroke  was  moved,  and  asked  me  to 
come  and  see  him  the  next  morning.  My  hands  have 
been  full  of  work,  and  I  have  been  among  great  com- 

3* 


58 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


pany.  All  accepted  my  sermons.  Thus  the  world 
turns  round  :  6  In  all  time  of  my  wealth,  good  Lord, 
deliver  me?  " 

Although  Whitefield  used  the  current  compliments 
of  address  common  to  that  period,  more  fulsome  then 
than  now  in  England,  and  at  either  time  sounding 
oddly  enough  to  us  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  he 
never  betrayed  his  office  as  the  minister  of  (rod,  but 
warned,  rebuked,  and  exhorted  men  with  all  fidelity, 
as  well  as  with  all  affection. 

"  As  for  praying  in  your  family,  I  entreat  you 
not  to  neglect  it,"  he  said  to  the  old  Scotch  Marquis 
of  Lothian,  who  would  fain  have  been  like  Nicodemus, 
a  Christian  in  the  dark.  "You  are  bound  to  do  it. 
Apply  to  Christ  to  overcome  your  present  fears ;  they 
are  the  effects  of  pride  or  infidelity,  or  both." 

The  death-bed  of  Lord  St.  John,  who  was  one  of 
the  hearers  of  this  parlor  preaching,  exhibited  scenes 
unusual  in  the  circle  where  he  moved  :  the  Bible  was 
read  to  him,  and  his  cry  was,  "  Grod  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner  !"  "  My  Lord  Bolingbroke,"  wrote  Lady 
Huntington  to  Whitefield,  "was  much  struck  with 
his  brother's  language  in  his  last  moments.  0  that 
his  eyes  might  be  opened  by  the  illuminating  influence 
of  divine  truth.  He  is  a  singularly  awful  character ; 
and  I  am  fearfully  alarmed,  lest  the  gospel  which  he 
so  heartily  despises,  yet  affects  to  reverence,  should 
prove  the  savor  of  death  unto  death  to  him.  Some, 
I  trust,  are  savingly  awakened,  while  many  are  in- 
quiring ;  thus  the  great  Lord  of  the  harvest  hath 
put  honor  on  your  ministry,  and  hath  given  my  heart 


WHITEFIELD. 


59 


an  encouraging  token  of  the  utility  of  our  feeble 
efforts." 

Under  her  auspices,  a  prayer-meeting  was  estab- 
lished for  those  females  who,  from  the  circles  of  rank 
and  fashion,  became  the  followers  of  the  Lord.  Among 
these  were  Lady  Frances  Grardiner,  Lady  Mary  Ham- 
ilton, daughter  of  the  Marquis  of  Lothian,  who  had 
attended  the  ministry  of  Whitefield  in  Scotland,  Lady 
Grertrude  Hotham  and  Countess  Delitz,  sisters  of 
Lady  Chesterfield,  Lady  Chesterfield  herself,  and 
Lady  Fanny  Shirley,  of  whom  Horace  Walpole  wrote 
in  his  scoffing  way  to  a  friend  on  the  continent,  "  If 
you  ever  think  of  returning  to  England,  you  must 
prepare  yourself  with  Methodism  :  this  sect  increases 
as  fast  as  ever  almost  any  other  religious  nonsense  did. 
Lady  Fanny  Shirley  has  chosen  this  way  of  bestow- 
ing the  dregs  of  her  beauty,  and  Mr.  Lyttleton  is  very 
near  making  the  same  sacrifice  of  the  dregs  of  all 
those  various  characters  that  he  has  worn.  The 
Methodists  love  your  big  sinners,  and  indeed  they 
have  a  plentiful  harvest." 

"  There  needed,"  said  one,  "  strong  consolation  in 
order  to  resist  the  strong  temptations  presented  by  a 
frivolous  court,  a  witty  peerage,  and  a  learned  bench 
in  favor  of  a  formal  religion.  Nothing  but  the  'joy 
of  the  Lord'  could  have  sustained  them  in  such  a 
sphere.  Happiness  in  religion  was  the  best  security 
for  their  holiness.  They  could  not  be  laughed  out  of 
a  good  hope  through  grace.  Wit  or  banter  may  make 
persisting  a  weakness  or  a  fancy,  but  they  cannot 
make  hope,  peace,  and  joy  appear  absurd.  Neither 


60 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


the  severe  denunciations  of  Warburton,  or  the  polish- 
ed sarcasm  of  Chesterfield,  could  touch  the  conscious- 
ness of  peace  in  believing,  or  of  enjoyment  in  secret 
prayer,  in  the  hearts  of  those  peeresses  who  had  found 
at  the  cross  and  the  mercy- seat  the  happiness  they 
had  sought  in  vain  from  the  world." 

"  Religion  was  never  so  much  the  subject  of  con- 
versation as  now,"  writes  Lady  Huntington  to  Dod- 
dridge. "  Some  of  the  great  ones  hear  with  me  the 
gospel  patiently,  and  thus  much  seed  is  sown  by  Mr. 
"Whitefield's  preaching.  0  that  it  may  fall  on  good 
ground,  and  bring  forth  abundantly. 

"  I  had  the  pleasure,  yesterday,  of  Mr.  (ribbon's 
and  Mr.  Crittenden's  company  to  dine  with  me.  Lord 
Lothian  and  Lady  Frances  Gardiner  gave  them  the 
meeting,  and  we  had  truly  a  most  primitive  and  heaven- 
ly day ;  our  hearts  and  voices  praised  the  Lord,  prayed 
to  him,  and  talked  of  him.  I  had  another  lady  pres- 
ent, whose  face,  since  I  saw  you  last,  is  turned  Zion- 
ward.  Of  the  'honorable  women,'  I  trust  there  are  not 
a  few ;  patience  shall  have  its  proper  work  :  and  if 
we  love  our  Lord,  we  must  be  tender  over  his  lambs. 
I  trust  He  will  assist  us  to  keep  fanning  the  flame  in 
every  heart ;  this,  my  friend,  is  our  joyful  task  for  the 
best  Master  we  can  serve,  either  in  time  or  eternity. 
Do  not  let  our  hands  hang  down ;  we  must  wrestle 
for  ourselves  and  for  all  dead  in  their  sins,  till  the  day 
break  and  the  shadows  of  time  flee  away." 

While  thus  solicitous  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
those  of  her  own  rank,  no  less  interested  is  she  in  her 
humbler  neighbors  ;  to  them  her  house  was  constantly 


WHITEFIELD. 


61 


opened,  that  they  also  might  be  enriched  by  "that 
faith  which  comes  by  hearing."  On  week-days  her 
kitchen  was  filled  by  the  poor  of  the  flock,  whom  she; 
supplied  with  all  the  means  of  religious  profit  which 
lay  in  her  power. 

Meanwhile  good  and  evil  tidings  come  from  Wales. 
The  winter  campaign  of  Howel  Harris  is  attended 
with  stormy  weather.  The  gentry  frown,  the  mag- 
istrates bristle,  while  the  poor  people,  who  hunger  for 
his  "good  words,"  are  sorely  oppressed,  nay,  griev- 
ously tormented.  On  one  excursion  he  did  not  take 
off  his  clothes  for  seven  days  and  nights,  being  obliged 
to  meet  his  little  congregation  in  solitary  places  at 
midnight,  or  by  daylight  in  ravine  or  cleft,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  persecuting  vigilance  of  their  enemies. 
"  One  man,"  says  Harris,  "  was  obliged  to  pay  Sir 
Watkins  Wynn  twenty  shillings,  several  of  my  poor 
hearers  five  shillings,  and  one  who  paid  the  same 
sum  before,  was  fined  seven  shillings  more ;  and  this 
is  the  third  time  my  poor  sheep  of  this  fold  have  been 
thus  served." 

When  the  matter  came  to  Lady  Huntington's 
knowledge,  indignant  at  the  injustice  and  bigotry  of 
Sir  Watkins  Wynn,  with  characteristic  energy  she 
instantly  made  a  representation  to  the  government 
of  his  infringement  of  the  Act  of  Toleration ;  the 
magistrates  were  rebuked  by  the  higher  law,  and  Sir 
Watkins  was  ordered  to  return  the  fines  to  the  pockets 
of  the  sufferers. 

Honorable  exceptions,  however,  were  there  among 
the  Welsh  magistrates.    Harris  having  made  an  ap- 


62 


LADY  HUNTI2JGT02I. 


pointment  to  meet  the  peasantry  near  Garth,  in  Bre- 
consliire,  the  residence  of  Sir  Tvlarmaduke  Grwynne, 
that  gentleman,  frightened  by  the  reports  concerning 
him,  resolved  on  the  occasion  to  do  his  duty  as  a 
magistrate,  and  stop  proceedings  of  so  disorderly  and 
mobbish  a  character.  Regarding  the  missionary  as 
neither  more  nor  less  than  a  firebrand  to  church  and 
state,  Mr.  Magistrate  Grwynne  prepared  for  a  reso- 
lute attack,  but  wisely  enough  said  to  his  family  on 
going  out,  "I'll  first  hear  the  man  myself,  before 
I  commit  him."  Accordingly  he  mingled  with  the 
congregation,  lying  in  wait  to  pounce  upon  the 
preacher  at  every  next  word.  "Why,. he's  neither 
more  nor  less  than  an  apostle,"  cried  Grwynne  in- 
wardly, his  stout  heart  melting  under  the  manner 
and  earnest  language  of  the  man  of  G-od.  The  riot 
act  lay  asleep  in  his  pocket,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
discourse  he  marched  up  to  the  rude  platform,  shook 
the  preacher  warmly  by  the  hand,  confessed  his 
intention,  asked  his  pardon,  bade  him  preach  while 
he  lived,  and  took  him  back  to  Garth  to  supper. 
Henceforth  the  countenance  of  the  Grwynne  family 
smiled  on  the  new  movements.  Regardless  of  public 
or  private  censure,  Sir  Marmaduke  stood  stoutly  up 
for  the  evangelists,  and  used  all  his  influence  for  pro- 
moting the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  the  regions  round 
about.  One  of  his  daughters  afterwards  married 
Charles  Wesley. 

In  February,  1749,  Whitefield  left  London  a  short 
time  to  recruit  amid  scenes  less  exciting,  for  rest  he 
never  knew.   Lady  Huntington  goes  to  Clifton.  Her 


WHITEFIELD. 


63 


eldest  son  has  become  of  age,  and  as  Earl  Hunting- 
ton, takes  possession  of  Donnington  park,  Ledstone 
hall,  with  other  patrimony  belonging  to  his  title.  He 
then  set  out  upon  the  fashionable  continental  tour. 
At  Paris  he  is  warmly  greeted  by  the  most  distin- 
guished English  residents,  particularly  introduced  as 
he  is  by  Lord  Chesterfield,  who  pronounces  him  "one 
of  the  first  peers  of  England,  with  merit  and  talents 
equal  to  his  birth." 

Lady  Elizabeth  Hastings,  the  countess'  eldest 
daughter,  much  admired  for  her  grace,  vivacity,  and 
abilities,  in  March  of  this  year  was  appointed  "  lady 
of  the  bedchamber"  to  the  princesses  Amelia  and  Car- 
oline, sisters  of  George  III.  She  remained  in  office 
but  a  few  months.  In  relation  to  it  Horace  AValpolo 
said,  "  The  queen  of  the  Methodists  got  her  daughter 
named  for  lady  of  the  bedchamber  to  the  princesses ; 
but  it  is  all  off  again,  as  she  will  not  let  her  play 
cards  on  Sunday." 


64 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ROM  AINE  — ALARMS. 

Here  comes  one  with  quick,  elastic  step ;  his  eye 
is  keen ;  his  thin,  yet  strongly  lined  face  is  surmounted 
by  a  gray  wig  somewhat  smitten  by  the  hand  of 
time ;  his  plain,  and  certainly  not  polished  manners, 
are  perhaps  in  keeping  with  the  blue  suit  and  coarse 
blue  yarn  stockings,  in  which  he  is  usually  seen ;  he 
cannot  stop  for  all  the  elaborate  courtesies  of  life,  for 
manifold  cares  and  duties  eat  up  his  time,  which  he 
is  bent  on  using  wisely,  as  one  who  must  give  ac- 
count. Behold  Rev.  "William  Romaine,  curate  of  St. 
Dunstans  and  St.  Greorges,  Hanover-square,  London, 
whose  searching  and  pungent  appeals  were  at  once 
the  scorn  and  the  delight  of  multitudes,  and  whose 
"  Walk  of  Faith"  held  a  prominent  place  on  the  book- 
shelves of  our  fathers  fifty  years  ago. 

He  was  at  Oxford  with  Whitefield  and  the  Wes- 
leys,  whom  on  account  of  their  religious  strictness 
and  singularity  he  then  avoided  and  despised.  What- 
ever might  have  been  his  literary  hopes  or  ambitious 
longings,  he  was  the  child  of  prayer,  and  trained 
by  believing  parents  for  the  service  of  G-od.  Thor- 
oughly instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  the  cross,  he  at 
length  cordially  embraced  them,  and  the  unfeigned 
faith  which  dwelt  in  his  parents  now  became  a  living 
principle  within  his  own  bosom. 


ROMAINE. 


65 


Having  taken  orders,  he  occasionally  preached,  but 
for  seven  years  his  time  had  been  chiefly  occupied  in 
preparing  for  the  press  a  new  edition  of  the  Hebrew 
Concordance  and  Lexicon  of  Marius  de  Calasio;  and 
it  was  to  further  its  progress  with  the  printers  that 
we  find  him  in  London  in  1747,  then  thirty-three 
years  of  age.  Having  completed  his  arrangements,  he 
determined  to  return  to  the  north  of  England,  where 
his  friends  resided,  and  where  he  was  best  known. 
His  trunk  was  on  shipboard,  and  he  was  hurriedly 
threading  his  way  through  the  bustle  of  Cheapside 
on  his  route  to  the  quay,  when  a  stranger  suddenly 
stopped  him  and  asked  if  his  name  were  not  Ro- 
maine.  "  That  is  my  name,"  answered  the  aston- 
ished young  man.  "  I  knew  your  father,  and  I  saw 
at  a  glance  the  father's  look  in  the  son,"  continued 
the  gentleman.  The  two  stood  and  talked.  Before 
parting  the  stranger  spoke  of  his  interest  in  the 
vacant  parishes  of  St.  George  and  St.  Botolph,  and 
offered  to  exert  it  in  his  behalf ;  and  thus,  on  this 
chance  and  abrupt  meeting,  did  the  young  preacher 
pause  and  make  choice  of  his  destiny  for  life. 

"  Had  not  Mr.  Romaine  met  this  stranger — had 
not  the  stranger  been  instantly  struck  with  the  son's 
resemblance  to  his  father — had  he  not  accosted  him 
with  a  curiosity  for  which  probably  he  himself  could 
give  no  reason — had  he  passed  a  moment  sooner  or 
later — had  the  lectureship  not  been  vacant — had  not 
the  conversation  led  to  the  cause  of  Mr.  Romaine' s 
leaving — in  short,"  says  Dr.  Haweis,  "  if  a  thousand 
unforeseen  circumstances  had  not  concurred  just  at 


C'o 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


that  critical  moment,  the  labors  of  that  great  reviver  of 
evangelical  truth  in  the  churches  of  London,  humanly 
speaking,  had  been  lost  to  the  metropolis,  and  with 
it  all  the  blessed  consequences  of  his  ministry,  which 
thousands  have  experienced,  and  for  which  they  will 
bless  Grod  to  all  eternity." 

Thus  doeth  He  who  holds  the  thread  of  every 
circumstance  :  we  are  the  web  of  his  own  great  pur- 
poses. 

A  general  alarm  prevailed  in  London  at  this  time, 
1749,  for  fear  of  coming  judgments.  The  universal 
corruption  of  morals,  the  mocking  spirit  of  irreligioii, 
and  the  heartlessness  and  hollowness  of  society  on 
one  side,  the  bold  rebukes,  the  searching  appeals,  the 
fearless  denunciations  of  the  new  preachers  on  the 
other,  united  with  the  report  of  earthquakes  desolat- 
ing and  destroying  on  the  continent,  conspired  to 
kindle  in  the  public  mind  a  consciousness  of  deserved 
wrath,  and  a  fearful  apprehension  of  approaching 
calamities.  There  are  times  when  whole  communi- 
ties are  thus  startled  into  a  sense  of  Grod,  and  great 
fears  lay  hold  upon  them.  The  shocks  of  earth- 
quake were  now  more  sensibly  felt  in  London  than 
for  many  years.  Houses  were  shaken,  chimneys  were 
thrown  down,  multitudes  left  the  city,  while  crowds 
fled  for  safety  to  the  open  fields.  Tower-hill,  Kenning- 
ton-common,  and  Moorfields  were  thronged  with  men, 
women,  and  children.  Places  of  worship  became 
crowded.  The  "Wesleys  preached  incessantly,  and 
"Whitefield  went  out  one  time  at  midnight  to  address 
a  dismayed  and  affrighted  multitude  in  Hyde-park. 


ALARMS. 


67 


Romaine  also  was  intent  upon  improving  these  sol- 
emn opportunities.  In  addition  to  his  forcible  appeals 
from  the  pulpit,  and  his  faithful  conversations  in  pri- 
vate,vhe  published  "An  Alarm  to  the  Careless  World," 
which  might  speak  where  his  voice  could  never  reach. 
A  sermon  also  appeared  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Dod- 
dridge, entitled,  "  The  Guilt  and  Doom  of  Caper- 
naum seriously  recommended  to  the  Inhabitants  of 
London." 

"You  have  now,  sirs,"  he  says  in  the  preface, 
"very  lately  had  repeated  and  surprising  demonstra- 
tions of  the  almighty  power  of  that  infinite  and  ador- 
able Being,  whom  in  the  midst  of  your  hurries  and 
amusements  you  are  so  ready  to  forget.  His  hand 
hath  once  and  again,  within  these  five  weeks,  lifted 
up  your  mighty  city  from  its  basis,  and  shook  its  mill- 
ion of  inhabitants  in  their  dwellings.  The  palaces 
of  the  great,  nay,  even  of  the  greatest,  have  not  been 
exempted,  that  the  princes  of  the  land  might  be  wise, 
and  its  judges  and  lawgivers  might  receive  instruc- 
tion. And  is  not  the  voice  of  this  earthquake  like  that 
of  the  angel  in  the  Apocalypse,  flying  in  the  midst  of 
heaven,  and  having  the  everlasting  gospel,  saying  with 
a  loud  voice,  '  Fear  Grod,  and  give  glory  to  him,  and 
worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth  V  " 

"  I  suppose  what  you  have  so  lately  felt,  to  be  the 
result  of  natural  causes ;  but  remember,  they  were 
causes  disposed  by  Him  who,  from  the  day  in  which 
he  founded  our  island  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
earth,  knew  every  circumstance  of  their  operation 
with  infinitely  more  certainty  than  the  most  skilful 


68 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


engineer  the  disposition  and  success  of  a  mine  which 
he  hath  prepared  and  directed,  and  which  he  fires 
in  the  appointed  moment.  And  do  not  your  hearts 
meditate  terror  ?  Especially  when  you  consider  how 
much  London  hath  done,  and  even  you  yourselves  have 
done,  to  provoke  the  eyes  of  his  holiness  and  awaken 
the  vengeance  of  his  almighty  arm  ?  The  second 
shock,  it  seems,  was  more  dreadful  than  the  first; 
and  may  not  the  third  he  yet  more  dreadful  than  the 
second  ?  So  that  this  last  may  seem  as  a  merciful 
signal  to  prepare  for  what  may  with  the  most  ter- 
rible propriety  he  called  an  untimely  grave  indeed — 
a  grave  that  shall  receive  the  living  with  the  dead. 
Think  what  you  have  lately  felt ;  and  think  whether 
in  that  amazing  moment  you  could  have  done  any 
thing  material  to  prepare  for  another  world,  if  eternity 
had  depended  upon  that  momentary  preparation.  A 
shriek  of  wild  consternation,  a  cry  as  you  were  sink- 
ing, 4  The  Lord  have  mercy  on  us !'  would  proba- 
bly have  been  of  very  little  significancy  to  those  that 
have  so  long  despised  mercy,  and  would  not  have 
thought  of  asking  it  but  in  the  last  extremity." 

"Oh  London,  London,"  cries  the  preacher  in  his 
sermon,  "dear  city  of  my  birth  and  education,  seat  of 
so  many  of  my  friends,  seat  of  our  princes  and  sena- 
tors, centre  of  our  commune,  heart  of  our  island 
which  must  feel  and  languish  and  tremble  and  die 
with  thee,  how  art  thou  lifted  up  to  heaven;  how 
high  do  thy  glories  rise,  and  how  bright  do  they  shine  ! 
How  great  is  thy  magnificence ;  how  extensive  thy 
commerce ;  how  numerous,  how  free,  how  happy 


ALARMS. 


69 


thine  inhabitants ;  how  happy,  above  all,  in  their 
religious  opportunities ;  how  happy  in  the  uncor- 
rupted  gospel,  so  long  and  so  faithfully  preached  in 
thy  synagogues  !  But  while  we  survey  these  heights 
of  elevation,  must  we  not  tremble  lest  thou  should st 
fall  so  much  the  lower,  lest  thou  shouldst  plunge  so 
much  the  deeper  in  ruin  ? 

"My  situation,  sirs,  is  not  such  as  renders  me 
most  capable  of  judging  concerning  the  moral  charac- 
ter of  this  our  celebrated  metropolis.  But  who  can 
hear  what  seem  the  most  credible  reports  of  it,  and 
not  take  an  alarm  ?  Whose  spirit  must  not,  like  that 
of  Paul  at  Athens,  be  stirred,  when  he  sees  the  city  so 
abandoned  to  profaneness,  luxury,  and  vanity  ?  Is  it 
indeed  false,  all  that  we  hear  ?  Is  it  indeed  accidental, 
all  that  we  see  ?  Is  London  wronged,  when  it  is  said 
that  great  licentiousness  reigns  among  most  of  its 
inhabitants,  and  great  indolence  and  indifference  to 
religion,  even  among  those  who  are  not  licentious? 
that  assemblies  for  divine  worship  are  much  neglect- 
ed, or  frequented  with  little  appearance  of  seriousness 
or  solemnity,  while  assemblies  for  pleasure  are  throng- 
ed, and  attended  with  such  eagerness  that  all  the 
heart  and  soul  seems  to  be  given  to  them  rather  than 
to  Grod  ;  that  the  Sabbath,  instead  of  being  religiously 
observed,  is  given  to  jaunts  of  pleasure  into  neighbor- 
ing villages,  or  wasted  on  beds  of  sloth,  or  at  tables 
of  excess  ;  that  men  of  every  rank  are  ambitious  of 
appearing  to  be  something  more  than  they  are,  grasp- 
ing at  business  they  cannot  manage,  entering  into 
engagements  they  cannot  answer,  and  so,  after  a  vain 


70 


LADY  HUtfTrNlJTOM 


and  contemptible  blaze,  drawing  bankruptcy  upon 
themselves  and  others  ?  that  the  poorer  sort  are 
grossly  ignorant,  wretchedly  depraved,  and  aban- 
doned to  the  most  brutal  sensualities  and  infirmities  ; 
while  those  who  would  exert  any  remarkable  zeal  to 
remedy  these  evils,  by  introducing  a  deep  and  warm 
sense  of  religion  into  the  minds  of  others,  are  suspected 
and  censured  as  whimsical  and  enthusiastical,  if  not 
designing  men  ?  in  a  word,  that  the  religion  of  our 
divine  Master  is  by  multitudes  of  the  great  and  the 
vulgar  openly  renounced  and  blasphemed  ?  Men  and 
brethren,  are  these  things  indeed  so  ?  I  take  not  upon 
me  to  answer  absolutely  that  they  are :  but  I  will 
venture  to  say,  that  if  they  are  indeed  thus,  London, 
as  rich  and  grand  and  glorious  as  it  is,  has  reason  to 
tremble,  and  to  tremble  so  much  the  more  for  its 
abused  riches,  grandeur,  and  glory." 

"While  some  of  the  preachers  were  thus  careful  to 
improve  the  general  alarm  by  a  vigorous  enforcement 
of  divine  truth,  there  were  multitudes  of  the  people 
no  less  anxious  for  spiritual  instruction.  St.  (xeorges, 
where  Romaine  preached,  was  thronged  ;  and  of  this, 
some  of  the  regular  parishioners  grievously  complain- 
ed. The  old  Earl  of  Northampton  reminded  them  that 
they  bore  the  greater  crowd  of  a  ballroom,  an  assem- 
bly, and  a  playhouse,  without  inconvenience  or  com- 
plaint;  "and  if,"  said  he,  "the  power  to  attract  be 
imputed  as  a  matter  of  admiration  to  Garrick,  why 
should  it  be  urged  as  a  crime  against  Romaine  ? 
Shall  excellence  be  exceDtionable  only  in  divine 
things  ?" 


ALARMS. 


71 


But  the  thing  was  not  to  be  borne.  If  the  parish- 
ioners could  bear  the  preaching  of  the  curate,  the 
rector  would  not.  Zeal  in  the  preacher  was  at  that 
time  looked  upon,  in  certain  quarters,  as  one  of  the 
unpardonable  sins  of  the  pulpit ;  for  it  reflected  dis- 
credit upon  a  large  body  of  the  clergy,  and  whether 
he  meant  it  or  not,  was  a  rebuke  upon  the  dead  and 
formal  ministry  of  his  brethren.  Romaine  was  there- 
fore summarily  dismissed  from  his  curacy.  Turned  out 
of  St.  Georges,  but  reluctant  to  part  from  many  of  his 
parishioners,  he  ventured  to  meet  them  at  the  house 
of  one  of  their  number  ;  for  which  alleged  irregularity 
he  was  threatened  with  prosecution  from  the  eccle- 
siastical court.  On  learning  this,  Lady  Huntington 
immediately  invited  him  to  her  house  in  Park-street, 
offered  him  her  scarf,  and  made  him  her  chaplain. 
Thus  shielded  by  a  peeress  of  the  realm,  he  continued 
his  labors,  more  vigorously  than  ever,  for  the  spirit- 
ual good  of  his  fellows.  Romaine  was  at  this  time 
thirty-five  years  of  age. 

"God  has  been  terribly  shaking  the  metropolis," 
wrote  Yv^hitefield  to  Lady  Huntington.  "  I  hope  it  is  an 
earnest  of  his  giving  a  shock  to  secure  sinners,  and 
making  them  to  cry  out,  'What  shall  we  do  to  be 
saved?'  I  trust,  honored  madam,  you  have  been 
brought  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus.  What  a  mercy 
is  this :  to  be  plucked  as  a  brand  from  the  burning, 
to  be  one  of  those  few  mighty  and  noble  that  are 
called  effectually  by  the  grace  of  God.  What  can 
shake  a  soul  whose  hopes  are  fixed  on  the  Rock  of 
ages  ?    Winds  may  blow,  rains  may  and  will  descend 


12 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


even  upon  persons  in  the  most  exalted  stations,  but 
they  that  trust  in  the  Lord  never  shall,  never  can  be 
totally  confounded." 

As  the  season  advances,  we  turn  from  the  excit- 
ing scenes  of  the  metropolis,  from  its  din  and  deprav- 
ity, to  the  green  lawns  and  hawthorn  hedges  of  the 
country.    We  hear  the  lark, 

':  Blithe  spirit, 

Pouring  its  full  heart 

In  profuse  strains  of  unpremeditated  art  j" 

we  cross  the  Ouse,  perhaps  at  Olney,  and  see  "display- 
ed its  lilies  newly  blown ;"  and  following  Whitefield, 
find  him  at  Northampton  in  the  hospitable  home  of 
Dr.  Doddridge.  The  famous  and  somewhat  unquiet 
visitor  cannot  disturb  the  sweet  accord  of  the  minis- 
ter's family,  though  the  children  gather  around  him, 
drawn  by  the  tender  warmth  of  his  love  for  them. 
How  vividly  he  tells  the  story  of  his  London  labors, 
and  of  the  good  countess  whom  their  father  loves ; 
or  perhaps  he  recounts  his  travels  among  the  wild 
forests  and  the  tall  red  men  of  the  new  world,  to 
which  they  listen  with  eager  interest ;  or  perhaps  he 
discourses  with  the  parents  upon  the  marvellous  works 
of  G-od,  or  urges  upon  the  young  men  of  the  academy 
the  glorious  gospel  of  his  blessed  Lord,  But  private 
ministrations  are  not  for  him.  On  a  Tuesday  morn- 
ing we  find  him  preaching  to  Doddridge's  family,  and 
in  the  afternoon  to  above  two  thousand  people  in  the 
neighboring  field. 

Hervey  comes  to  welcome  him,  James  Hervey, 
one  of  the  Oxford  band,  now  curate  in  the  little  vil- 


DR.  STONEHOUSE. 


73 


lage  of  "Western  Flavel,  so  near  Northampton  that  he 
and  Doddridge  may  often  thread  the  green  lanes  to 
each  other's  houses  and  take  sweet  counsel  in  heav- 
enly things.  Hervey  is  pale  and  attenuated,  but  great 
men  find  their  way  to  his  retired  church,  for  his  works 
are  admired  among  the  literary  circles  of  the  land. 
On  this  side  of  the  waters  he  is  best  known  as 
the  author  of  "  Meditations  in  a  Graveyard, "  once  a 
popular  little  volume,  but  now  cast  in  the  shade  less 
for  the  serious  tone  of  it,  than  for  its  airy  flights  of 
style.   Hervey's  heart  glows  while  Whitefield  talks. 

"  Surely,  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful  evening," 
exclaimed  he,  "or  saw  one  that  seemed  to  make 
nearer  approaches  to  the  felicity  of  heaven.  A  gentle- 
man of  great  worth  and  rank  invited  us  to  his  house 
and  gave  us  an  elegant  treat ;  but  how  mean  was  his 
provision,  how  coarse  his  delicacies,  compared  with  the 
fruit  of  my  friend's  lips.  They  dropped  as  a  honey- 
comb, and  were  a  well  of  life." 

Dr.  Stonehouse  is  also  of  the  company,  once  Dod- 
dridge's beloved  family  physician,  now  a  physician  of 
souls.  An  avowed  infidel  when  he  first  came  to 
Northampton,  the  preaching,  conversation,  writings, 
and  counsels  both  of  Doddridge  and  Hervey  led  him 
to  reconsider  the  ground  upon  which  he  stood,  discover 
his  perilous  condition,  and  flee  to  Jesus  Christ  for  ref- 
uge from  the  wrath  to  come.  He  afterwards  settled  at 
Great  and  Little  Cheveril,  Wilts,  where  ho  became  the 
spiritual  guide  of  Hannah  More,  and  the  "Mr.  John- 
son" of  her  admirable  and  far-famed  tract,  "  The  Shep- 
herd of  Salisbury  Plain."    After  the  death  of  his  wife 

Huntington.  4 


74 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


he  married  Miss  Ekins,  a  tenderly  beloved  ward  of 
Dr.  Doddridge,  "whose  account  of  her  expenses  and 
estate  was  so  just,"  says  the  husband  on  receiving  the 
property  of  his  bride,  "that  he  really  did  not  do  jus- 
tice to  himself,  in  consequence  of  which  we  made  his 
widow  a  handsome  present  for  his  undercharges." 

Meanwhile  Lady  Huntington  is  at  Ashby  de  la 
Zouch,  in  Leicestershire,  one  of  the  manors  belong- 
ing to  Lord  Huntington's  family,  a  day's  journey  from 
Northampton,  if  the  lumbering  vehicles  of  a  hundred 
years  ago  could  make  fifty  miles  a  day.  Here  were 
the  ladies  Hastings,  Frances,  Anne,  and  Betty.  After 
a  while,  Doddridge  pays  her  a  visit.  On  Sabbath 
forenoon  he  preached,  while  her  domestic  chaplain  read 
the  service  ;  in  the  evening  the  order  was  reversed, 
Doddridge  prayed  and  the  chaplain  preached.  "  This 
is  a  true  catholic  spirit,"  exclaims  the  countess,  "that 
wishes  well  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  every  denomi- 
nation. I  wish  all  the  dissenting  ministers  were  like- 
minded,  less  attached  to  little  punctilios,  and  more 
determined  to  publish  the  glorious  gospel  wherever 
men  are  assembled  to  hear,  whether  in  a  church,  a 
meeting-house,  a  field,  or  a  barn — less  anxious  to  con- 
vince their  brethren  in  errors  of  discipline,  and  more 
solicitous  to  gather  souls  to  Christ." 

Whitefield  in  his  rounds  at  length  halts  at  Ashby. 
"  And  Ashby-place  is  like  a  Bethel,"  he  exclaims ; 
"  we  have  the  sacrament  every  morning,  heavenly 
conversation  all  day,  and  preaching  at  night.  This  is 
to  live  at  court  indeed."  Does  not  this  picture  remind 
us  of  the  primitive  Christians,  when  they  continued 


WHITEFIELD. 


75 


daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  breaking  bread 
from  house  to  house,  eating  their  meat  with  gladness 
and  singleness  of  heart,  and  praising  Grod  ? 

But  the  spirit  and  the  preaching  of  Ashby-place 
did  not  suit  the  humor  of  the  neighborhood.  Riotous 
proceedings  took  place  on  various  occasions,  inflamed, 
it  was  said,  by  the  dissenters ;  perhaps  Whitefield 
comes  nearer  the  truth  when  he  exclaims,  "  Alas,  how 
great  and  irreconcilable  is  the  enmity  of  the  serpent." 
The  countess'  house  is  threatened  with  ruin,  and  some 
persons  on  their  way  home  .narrowly  escaped  being 
murdered.  "  Ungrateful  Ashby,"  cries  Whitefield, 
"  0  that  thou  knewest  the  day  of  thy  visitation.  I 
shall  be  glad  to  hear  what  becomes  of  the  rioters. 
0  that  your  ladyship  may  live  to  see  many  of  those 
Ashby  stones  become  children  to  Abraham." 

To  Lady  Grertrude  Hotham,  one  of  his  London 
converts,  he  wrote,  "  Good  Lady  Huntington  is  weak 
in  body,  but  strong  in  grace.  Thousands  and  thou- 
sands flock  to  hear  the  word  twice  every  day,  and  the 
power  of  Grod  has  attended  it  in  a  glorious  manner. 
But  the  good  people  of  Ashby  were  so  kind  as  to  mob 
round  her  ladyship's  door  while  the  gospel  was  preach- 
ing. Ashby  is  not  worthy  of  so  rich  a  pearl.  You 
and  Lady  Fanny  were  constantly  remembered  at 
Ashby  at  the  holy  table." 

Whitefield  staid  here  a  fortnight,  continuing  in- 
stant in  season  and  out  of  season  in  his  Master's  work, 
when  he  took  leave  and  pushed  on  towards  the  north. 
As  mails  were  not  carried  by  coaches  in  England 
until  nearly  thirty  years  after  this  time,  we  may  sup- 


76 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


pose  there  was  little  public  accommodation  for  travel- 
lers. People  went  in  their  own  conveyances.  Let  us 
take  a  look  at  Whitefield,  as  his  carriage  drives  out 
of  Ashby  on  the  road  to  Nottingham,  drawn  by  a 
favorite  pair  of  handsome  black  horses,  doing  credit 
to  their  keeping  at  the  Ashby  stables.  It  was  on  this 
journey,  while  he  was  preaching  at  Kendal,  surround- 
ed by  a  listening  multitude,  that  some  of  the  baser 
sort,  honoring  the  preacher  in  their  own  way,  enter- 
ed the  barn  where  his  carriage  was  housed,  hacked 
the  leather,  abused  the  trimmings,  and  cut  off  the 
horses'  tails.  "  Still,"  he  observes,  "  (rod  vouchsafes 
to  prosper  the  gospel  plough.  Such  an  entrance  has 
been  made  at  Kendal  as  could  not  have  been  ex- 
pected. The  people  are  importunate  that  I  should 
return  again,  and  the  power  of  the  Lord  has  been 
wonderfully  displayed." 

At  Nottingham,  he  was  attended  by  great  multi- 
tudes, who  thronged  every  avenue  to  the  place  appoint- 
ed for  him  to  preach  in;  in  some  places,  "  Satan  ral- 
lied," he  says,  "  giving  notice  of  me  by  calling  the 
people  to  a  bear-baiting:  a  drum  is  beat,  and  men  are 
called  to  the  market-place ;  but  the  arrows  of  the 
Lord  can  disperse  them."  It  was  at  Rotherham  that 
several  young  men  met  at  a  tavern,  and  undertook  on 
a  wager  to  see  who  could  best  mimic  him ;  each  in 
turn  mounted  the  table,  and  opening  a  Bible,  enter- 
tained his  companions  at  the  expense  of  every  thing 
sacred.  A  youth  by  the  name  of  Thorpe  was  to  close 
the  scene;  and  he  exclaimed,  on  taking  his  stand,  "  I 
shall  beat  you  all."   Opening  the  Bible,  his  eye  fell  on 


WHITEFIELD. 


77 


the  solemn  sentence,  "Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all 
likewise  perish."  It  pierced  the  young  man's  soul. 
The  truth  mastered  him.  He  spoke,  but  it  was  like 
a  dying  man  to  dying  men.  A  profound  seriousness 
spread  over  the  company,  and  those  who  came  to 
scoff  went  away  to  weep.  He  afterwards  became  a 
preacher,  and  for  many  years  faithfully  ministered  in 
holy  things ;  and  his  son,  Rev.  William  Thorpe,  was 
for  a  long  time  one  of  the  stated  supplies  of  the  White- 
field  chapel  in  London. 

Whitefield  visited  Aberford,  the  residence  of  Ing- 
ham and  Lady  Margaret,  where  Ingham  and  Grim- 
shaw  joined  him  on  his  tour  in  Yorkshire.  From 
Leeds  he  writes  to  Lady  Huntington,  "  Last  night  I 
preached  to  many,  many  thousands,  and  this  morn- 
ing also  at  five  o'clock.  Methinks  I  am  now  got  into 
another  climate.  It  must  be  a  warm  one,  where 
there  are  so  many  of  Grod's  people.  Our  pentecost  is 
to  be  kept  at  Mr.  Grrimshaw's.  While  at  Haworth, 
Mr.  Grrimshaw's  curacy,  the  Lord's  supper  was  fre- 
quently administered  not  only  to  the  stated  commu- 
nicants, but  to  hundreds  from  other  quarters,  who 
resorted  hither  on  these  solemn  occasions,  when  it 
seemed  emphatically,  that  the  "  Spirit  was  poured  out 
from  on  high."  "  Pen,"  he  writes  to  Hervey,  "  can- 
not well  describe  what  glorious  scenes  have  opened  in 
Yorkshire.  Since  I  was  in  Ashby,  perhaps  seventy  or 
eighty  thousand  have  attended  the  word  preached  in 
divers  places.  At  Haworth,  on  Whit- Sunday,  the 
church  was  thrice  filled  with  communicants.  It  was 
a  precious  season." 


78 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


After  travelling  through  different  parts  of  Lan- 
cashire,Westmoreland,  and  Cumberland,  accompanied 
by  Ingham  and  one  or  two  other  kindred  spirits,  he 
departs  for  Scotland  ;  while  we  return  to  Ashby,  and 
find  Hervey  there,  among  other  guests.  How  feeble  is 
he.  Dr.  Stonehouse  can  administer  nothing  for  his 
relief,  but  advises  him  to  go  to  London  by  easy  stages, 
and  try  the  effect  of  change  of  air  ;  and  Lady  Hunt- 
ington 'urges  it.  The  next  winter  finds  him  lodged 
not  with  "his  brother  after  the  flesh,"  but  with  "the 
brother  of  his  heart,"  Mr.  "Whitefield,  at  his  house 
near  Moorfields.  Lady  Huntington  commends  the 
invalid  to  the  kind  notice  of  her  female  friends ;  at 
the  house  of  Lady  Fanny  Shirley  and  Lady  Gertrude 
Hotham,  he  preaches  as  often  as  his  strength  admits, 
and  it  was  to  the  former  that  he  dedicates  his  new 
volume,  "  Theron  and  Aspasio." 

Early  in  the  month  of  October,  Whitefield  comes 
back  to  Ashby,  after  long  ranging  about,  as  he  says,  to 
see  who  would  believe  the  gospel  report. 

"  Your  kind  letter,"  he  answers  Doddridge,  "  finds 
me  happy  at  our  good  Lady  Huntington's,  whose  path 
shines  brighter  and  brighter  till  the  perfect  day. 
Gladly  shall  I  call  upon  you  again,  if  the  Lord  spares 
my  life ;  but  in  the  meanwhile,  I  shall  not  fail  to  pray 
that  the  work  of  our  common  Lord  may  more  and 
more  prosper  in  your  hand.  I  thank  you  a  thousand 
times  for  your  kindness  to  the  chief  of  sinners,  and 
assure  you,  reverend  sir,  the  affection  is  reciprocal.  I 
go  with  regret  from  Lady  Huntington.  Do  come  and 
see  her  soon." 


WHITE  FIELD. 


79 


There  were  five  clergymen  now  beneath  her  hospi- 
table roof,  "  and  it  is  a  time  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  our  God,"  she  writes  to  her  aunt,  Lady 
Fanny.  "Several  of  our  little  circle  have  been  won- 
derfully filled  with  the  love  of  God,  and  have  had  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  It  is  impossible  to  con- 
ceive more  real  happiness  than  Lady  Frances  enjoys. 
Dear  Mr.  AYhitefield's  sermons  and  conversation  are 
close,  searching,  experimental,  awful,  and  awaken- 
ing.   Surely  G-od  is  wonderfully  with  him." 

"Whitefield  now  returned  to  London.  Lady  Hunt- 
ington remained  with  her  family  at  Ashby-place. 
Her  health  is  delicate  :  Dr.  Stonehouse  still  adminis- 
ters to  her  in  bodily  tilings,  though  he  has  just  taken 
the  cure  of  souls.  He  is  thrown  much  into  the  society 
of  those  who  are  movers  and  actors  in  the  great  relig- 
ious movements  of  the  day,  some  of  whom  are  among 
his  choicest  friends ;  yet  he  seems  to  have  felt  a  strong- 
repugnance  to  the  term  '  Methodist,'  and  perhaps  it 
was  in  reference  to  his  timid  conservatism  upon  this 
point,  that  Lady  Huntington  urges,  '  Go  forth  boldly, 
fear  not  the  reproach  of  men,  and  preach  the  inesti- 
mable gift  of  God  to  impotent  sinners.'  " 

"  For  Christ's  sake,  dear  Mr.  Hervey,"  wrote 
AVhitefield,  "  exhort  Dr.  Stonehouse,  now  that  he 
hath  taken  the  gown,  to  '  play  the  man;' "  and  to  the 
doctor  himself  he  says,  "  I  have  thought  of  you  and 
prayed  for  you  much,  since  we  parted  at  Northamp- 
ton. How  wonderfully  doth  the  Lord  Jesus  watch 
over  you.  How  sweetly  doth  he  lead  you  out  of 
temptation.    0  follow  his  leadings,  my  dear  friend, 


80  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

and  let  every,  even  the  most  beloved  Isaac,  be  imme- 
diately sacrificed  for  Grod.  (rod's  law  is  our  rule,  and 
God  will  have  all  the  heart  or  none.  Agags  will 
plead,  but  they  must  be  hewn  in  pieces.  May  you 
quit  yourself  like  a  man,  and  in  every  respect  behave 
like  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ." 

''Allow  me  to  express  my  heartfelt  gratitude  for 
the  very  faithful  manner  in  which  you  have  placed 
my  serious  duties  before  me,"  he  courteously  replies 
to  Lady  Huntington,  "  duties  high  and  honorable, 
but  arduous  indeed.  What  holy  and  excellent  exam- 
ples have  I  in  the  exalted  piety  and  ministerial  fidel- 
ity of  Doddridge,  Hervey,  and  Hartley,  and  the  un- 
daunted zeal  of  that  great  apostle,  Mr.  Whitefield. 
May  I  be  a  follower  of  them  as  they  are  of  Christ, 
and  whatever  little  differences  may  exist  between  us, 
may  we  all  finally  meet  before  the  throne  of  Grod  and 
the  Lamb." 

Dr.  Stonehouse  is  said  to  have  become  one  of  the 
most  elegant  preachers  of  the  kingdom,  and  for  the 
grace  of  propriety  perhaps  he  was  mainly  indebted  to 
Grarrick,  whose  famous  criticism  will  bear  repeating. 

Being  once  engaged  to  read  prayers  and  preach 
at  a  church  in  London,  he  prevailed  upon  Grarrick  to 
go  with  him.  After  the  service,  the  actor  asked  the 
preacher  what  particular  business  he  had  to  do  when 
the  duty  was  over. 

"  None,"  said  the  other. 

"  I  thought  you  had,"  said  Grarrick,  "  on  seeing 
you  enter  the  reading-desk  in  such  a  hurry.  Nothing 
can  be  more  indecent  than  to  see  a  clergyman  set 


G- ARRICK. 


81 


about  sacred  business  as  if  he  were  a  tradesman,  and 
go  into  church  as  if  he  wanted  to  get  out  of  it  as  soon 
as  possible."  He  next  asked  the  doctor  what  books 
he  had  before  him. 

"  Only  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book." 

"  Only  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book?"  replied  the 
player;  "why,  you  tossed  them  backwards  and  for- 
wards, and  turned  the  leaves  as  carelessly,  as  if  they 
were  those  of  a  daybook  and  ledger." 

The  doctor  acknowledged  the  force  of  the  criti- 
cism by  henceforth  avoiding  the  faults  it  was  designed 
to  correct.  Might  not  many  a  young  preacher  of  our 
own  day  wisely  profit  by  the  same  ? 


4 


62 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DODDRIDG-E. 

One  of  the  finest  expositions  of  Dr.  Doddridge's 
own  principles,  of  which  it  can  justly  he  said  he  was 
a  "  living  epistle,"  we  find  in  a  sermon  of  his  deliv- 
ered in  January,  1750,  hefore  a  meeting  of  ministers 
at  Creaton,  in  Northamptonshire,  upon  "  Christian 
Candor  and  Unanimity." 

"  To  agree  in  our  sentiments  as  to  every  point  of 
doctrine  or  discipline,  or  as  to  the  authority  or  expe- 
diency of  every  rite  of  worship  that  may  he  in  ques- 
tion, is  absolutely  impossible .  The  best  of  men  dif- 
fer— their  understandings  differ — various  associations 
have  been  accidentally  formed,  and  different  princi- 
ples have  been  innocently  and  perhaps  devoutly 
admitted,  which  even  a  course  of  just  and  sensible 
reasoning  must  necessarily  lead  to  different  conclu- 
sions. But,"  says  the  excellent  man,  "where  we  and 
our  brethren  agree  in  attending  to  the  one  thing 
which  Christianity  was  designed  to  teach  us,  surely 
an  agreement  in  that  should  unite  our  hearts,  more 
than  any  difference  consistent  with  that  agreement 
should  divide  them.  To  reverence  with  filial  love 
the  G-od  of  heaven,  and  adore  him  with  integrity  of 
heart ;  to  honor  Jesus  his  Son  as  the  brightest  image, 
subscribing  to  the  truth  of  all  he  is  known  to  have 
revealed,  and  the  authority  of  all  he  is  apprehended 


flUrlishsd  by  the.  j1m*rLaln,r™>t>Socu!&. 


DODDRIDGE. 


S3 


to  command ;  conscientiously  to  abstain  from  every 
known  evil,  and  to  practise,  as  far  as  human  infirmity 
will  admit,  the  comprehensive  precepts  of  living 
soberly,  righteously,  and  godly ;  still  looking  for  the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life, 
setting  the  affections  on  those  great  objects  which 
the  gospel  opens  to  our  view,  and  finally,  being  habit- 
ually ready  to  sacrifice  life  and  all  its  enjoyments  to 
that  blessed  hope — this,  this,  my  brethren,  is  the 
essential  character  of  every  Christian  ;  and  where  we 
see  this,  shall  we  esteem  it  a  difficult  thing  to  live 
peaceably  with  him?  Shall  we  esteem  it  a  praise 
that  we  do  not  censure,  grieve,  or  injure  him,  because 
he  follows  not  us?  Is  this  the  man  to  be  hated 
and  suspected  ?  I  will  add,  Can  we  refuse  to  embrace 
and  esteem  him,  merely  because  he  worships  in  an- 
other assembly,  or  according  to  a  different  form  ; 
because  he  expresses  his  apprehensions  about  some 
of  the  doctrines  in  different  words ;  because  he  can- 
not see  all  we  think  we  discern  in  some  passages  of 
Scripture,  or  because  he  imagines  he  sees  some- 
thing which  we  discern  not  ?  And  is  it,  after  all,  so 
great  a  matter  to  love  a  character  which,  amidst  all 
its  imperfections,  is  in  general  so  justly  amiable  ? 
Nay,  instead  of  thinking  much  of  any  act  of  kindness, 
ought  we  not  rather  to  lament  that  we  can  do  no 
more?  Ought  we  not  rather  to  endeavor  to  supply 
in  our  fervent  prayers  to  God  the  lack  of  that  further 
service  which  Christian  benevolence  dictates,  but 
which  the  narrow  limits  of  our  condition  or  our  nature 
will  not  allow  us  to  perform  ? 


64 


LADY  HUNTING- TON. 


"  Methinks  the  matter  might  be  safely  rested 
here."  And  yet  he  finds  it  good  to  illustrate  and  en- 
force his  principles  by  many  winning  arguments ;  and 
more  powerfully  still  did  he  commend  them  by  his 
own  example  of  loving  fellowship  with  Hervey  and 
Romaine,  with  Whitefield  and  Ingham,  and  indeed 
with  all  of  whatever  name  who  could  reciprocate 
such  charity.  May  not  Doddridge  thus  speak  to  us? 
Let  us  filially  contemplate  this  phase  of  his  character, 
if  haply  we  may  catch  his  spirit  and  profit  by  his 
teachings. 

On  being  published,  this  discourse  was  dedicated 
to  Lady  Huntington,  "  that  eminent  example  of 
Christian  candor  here  recommended,  and  of  every 
other  virtue  and  grace  which  can  inspire,  support, 
and  adorn  it." 

In  June  we  find  Doddridge  at  Ashby,  and  from  a 
letter  written  to  his  beloved  pupil  and  ministerial 
brother,  Rev.  Benjamin  Fawcett  of  Kidderminster,  we 
find  some  notes  of  pleasant  memory. 

"  Lady  Huntington,  for  whom  I  desired  your  pray- 
ers, is  wonderfully  recovered.  She  walked  with  me  in 
the  garden  and  park,  and  almost  wearied  me,  such 
is  her  recruit  of  strength ;  but  the  strength  of  her 
soul  is  amazing.  I  think  I  never  saw  so  much  of  the 
image  of  Grod  in  any  woman  upon  earth.  Were  I  to 
write  what  I  know  of  her,  it  would  fill  your  heart 
with  wonder,  joy,  and  praise.  She  desired  me  to 
educate  a  lad  for  the  dissenting  ministry  at  her  ex- 
pense, till  he  be  fit  to  come  to  my  academy ;  and  this 
is  but  one  of  a  multitude  of  good  works  which  she  is 


DODDRIDGE. 


86 


continually  performing.  I  must  tell  you,  however, 
one  observation  which  struck  me  much  :  '  None,' 
said  she,  '  know  how  to  prize  Christ,  but  those 
who  are  zealous  in  good  works.  Men  know  not  till 
they  try,  what  imperfect  things  these  best  works  are, 
and  how  deficient  we  are  in  them ;  and  the  experi- 
ence of  that  sweetness  that  attends  their  perform- 
ance, makes  me  more  sensible  of  those  obligations  to 
Him  whose  grace  is  the  principle  of  them  in  our 
hearts.'  She  has  Grod  dwelling  in  her,  and  she  is 
ever  bearing  her  testimony  to  the  present  salvation 
he  has  given  us,  and  to  the  fountain  of  living  waters 
which  she  feels  springing  up  in  her  soul ;  so  that  she 
knows  the  divine  original  of  the  promises  before  the 
performance  of  them  to  her,  as  she  knows  God  to  be 
her  Creator  by  the  life  he  has  given  her. 

"  As  I  was  setting  out  on  my  blessed  journey  to 
her,  for  such  indeed  it  was,  yesterday  was  sevennight, 
a  terrible  accident  happened  to  my  study,  which  might 
have  been  attended  with  fatal  consequences.  I  had 
been  sealing  a  letter  with  a  little  roll  of  wax,  and  I 
thought  I  had  blown  it  out,  when  fanned  by  the  mo- 
tion of  the  air  as  I  arose  in  haste,  it  was  rekindled. 
It  burnt  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  while  we  were 
at  prayer,  and  would  have  gone  on  perhaps  to  have 
consumed  the  closet  and  the  house,  had  not  my  oppo- 
site neighbor  seen  the  flame  and  given  the  alarm. 
When  I  came  up  I  found  my  desk,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  papers,  burning  like  an  altar  :  many  letters, 
papers  of  memoranda,  and  schemes  of  sermons  were 
consumed.    My  book  of  accounts  was  on  fire,  and  a 


86 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


volume  of  the  Family  Expositor,  the  original  manu- 
script from  Corinthians  to  Ephesians,  surrounded 
by  flames  and  drenched  with  melted  wax ;  and  yet,  so 
did  God  moderate  the  rage  of  this  element,  and  deter- 
mine in  his  providence  the  time  of  our  entrance,  that 
not  one  account  is  rendered  uncertain,  nor  is  one  line 
which  had  not  been  transcribed  destroyed  in  the 
manuscript.  Observe,  my  dear  friend,  His  hand,  and 
magnify  the  Lord  with  me." 

In  the  preface  to  this  volume  of  the  Family  Ex- 
positor, he  writes,  "  Well  may  it  be  said,  '  Is  not  this 
a  brand  plucked  out  of  the  burning  V  A  fire  was 
kindled  among  my  papers  which  endangered  the 
utter  ruin  of  my  affairs.  Every  thing  must  have 
gone,  had  it  not  been  for  the  glance  of  an  eye  by 
which  an  opposite  neighbor  discovered  it.  I  desire 
now  to  leave  it  upon  record,  that  I  now  have  received 
this  wonderful  mercy  from  the  Lord,  and  would  con- 
sider it  as  an  engagement  to  devote  all  I  have  to  him 
with  greater  zeal." 

In  December  of  this  year  Lady  Huntington  had 
a  dangerous  illness,  which  greatly  alarmed  her  friends. 
She  was  at  Ashby  with  her  daughters  and  sisters,  the 
Ladies  Hastings.  This  month  Dr.  Doddridge  is  also 
called  to  St.  Albans  to  preach  the  funeral-sermon  of 
his  almost  father,  Dr.  Samuel  Clarke,  author  of  "The 
Promises,"  a  man  highly  venerated  by  his  brethren 
and  gratefully  beloved  by  Doddridge. 

"  I  want  to  be  a  minister,"  was  the  chief  desire 
of  a  young  lad,  many  years  before  this  time.  He 
was  an  orphan  and  poor,  for  all  the  little  patrimony 


DOBDPwIDG-E. 


87 


left  him  by  his  father  was  lost  by  his  guardian.  He 
left  school  and  went  to  his  sister,  but  her  income  was 
too  small  to  render  him  effectual  aid.  He  loved 
study,  and  his  uppermost  wish  was  to  preach  the 
gospel,  yet  darkness  was  on  the  way.  A  rich  lady 
having  learned  something  of  his  cleverness,  offered 
to  pay  his  expenses  at  Oxford,  provided  he  would 
enter  the  English  church.  He  was  very  grateful  to 
this  lady,  but  he  felt  constrained  to  refuse  the  offer, 
for  he  revered  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  and  chose  rather 
to  suffer  constraint  and  reproach  with  the  dissenters, 
than  to  dwell  in  the  sumptuous  tents  of  the  estab- 
lishment. 

Troubled  and  anxious,  he  thought  he  would  ven- 
ture to  call  upon  a  learned  minister  in  the  neighbor-, 
hood,  lay  his  case  before  him,  and  ask  his  advice. 
The  gentleman  received  the  poor  lad  coolly,  and  spoke 
no  word  of  encouragement.  He  advised  him  to  choose 
another  calling,  and  think  no  more  of  preaching. 
Disheartened  more  and  more,  he  turned  away  from 
the  house  sorrowfully.  "  Try  the  law,"  said  some  of 
his  friends,  and  not  long  afterwards  they  procured 
him  a  suitable  situation  in  an  office.  There  seemed 
to  be  nothing  else  for  him  to  do ;  but  before  the  final 
decision,  the  young  man  set  apart  one  morning  espe- 
cially to  seek  the  direction  of  G-od  in  this  matter. 

While  engaged  in  prayer,  the  postman  knocked 
at  the  door.  He  brought  the  young  man  a  letter. 
It  was  from  an  early  friend  of  his  father,  who  having 
learned  his  destitute  condition,  offered,  if  he  were  still 
intent  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry,  to  take  him 


68 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


under  his  care  and  assist  him  in  his  studies.  What 
a  precious  letter  it  was !  "  This,"  he  exclaimed 
with  heartfelt  gratitude,  "  I  look  upon  almost  as  an 
answer  from  heaven,  and  while  I  live  I  shall  always 
adore  so  seasonable  an  opening  of  divine  Providence. 
I  have  sought  God's  direction  in  all  this  matter,  and 
I  hope  I  have  had  it,  and  I  beg  he  would  make  me 
an  instrument  of  doing  much  good  in  the  world." 

His  desires  were  gratified,  for  Grod  enabled  him 
not  only  to  become  a  useful  and  beloved  minister 
himself,  but  to  train  up  many  others  for  the  same 
holy  calling.  What  a  blessing  waits  on  those  who 
wait  on  Grod. 

This  young  lad  was  Philip  Doddridge,  and  the 
timely  friend,  good  Dr.  Clarke  of  St.  Albans,  whose 
death  he  is  now  called  to  mourn.  An  uninterrupted 
friendship  had  ever  subsisted  between  them,  the  elder 
rejoicing  in  the  ripe  and  useful  manhood  of  his  once 
orphan  charge,  and  the  younger  holding  in  grateful 
memory  the  friend  who  appeared  to  him  in  the  hour 
of  his  need. 

On  this  journey  to  St.  Albans,  to  officiate  at  the 
funeral  services,  in  the  raw  and  chilly  weather  of  an 
English  December,  Doddridge  took  a  severe  cold, 
whichJiung  about  him  all  winter. 

Lady  Huntington  continues  ill.  "I  fear  we  shall 
soon  lose  her  too,"  he  says,  "  but  the  Lord  liveth,  and 
blessed  be  our  Rock."  At  the  beginning  of  the  new 
year,  1751,  she  declined  so  rapidly  that  AYhitefield 
was  sent  for  in  haste  from  London.  "  I  rode  post  to 
Ashby,"  he  said,  "  not  knowing  whether  I  should  find 


DODDRIDGE. 


-0 


good  Lady  Huntington  alive.  Blessed  be  God,  she 
is  somewhat  better,  and  I  trust  will  not  die,  but  live, 
and  abound  more  and  more  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
Entreat  all  our  friends  to  pray  for  her.  Indeed  she 
is  worthy." 

A  few  hours  before  Whitefield  reached  Ashby, 
Lady  Frances  Hastings  was  suddenly  removed  to  that 

a  Land  of  pure  delight, 
Where  saints  immortal  reign." 

Her  age  was  fifty-seven.  In  all  things  she  adorned 
the  doctrine  of  her  Saviour.  Her  gentleness  and  sin- 
cerity endeared  her  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and 
heavenly-mindedness  made  her  a  choice  spirit  among 
the  people  of  God ;  while  a  multitude  of  the  neighbor- 
ing poor  attended*  her  funeral,  weeping  "  for  the  good 
works  and  almsdeeds  which  she  had  done." 

"  She  seemed,  as  it  were,  to  smile  at  death,"  wrote 
Whitefield  to  Lady  Mary  Hamilton,  her  intimate 
friend,  "  and  may  be  said,  I  trust  truly,  to  have  fallen 
asleep  in  Jesus.  Lady  Betty  is  more  affected  than  I 
ever  saw  her.  Lady  Anne  bears  up  pretty  well; 
while  Lady  Huntington  rejoices  at  the  thought  of 
her  sister's  being  so  quickly  translated  out  of  this 
house  of  bondage  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons 
of  God." 

Every  body  advises  her  ladyship  to  take  a  journey 
to  Bristol,  for  the  benefit  of  the  waters,  which  she 
hopes  to  do. 

After  "Whitefield  left,  Dr.  Stonehouse  came  to 
Ashby,  where  he  remained  until  the  invalid  could  be 
removed  to  Bristol  Hot- Wells,  whither  she  went  in  the 


90  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 

beginning  of  March.  Just  before  going,  Doddridge 
seems  to  have  paid  her  a  visit,  for  we  hear  her  exclaim- 
ing, "  How  holy,  how  humble  is  that  excellent  man  ! 
And  what  divine  words  fell  from  his  lips  at  the  last 
sacramental  feast !  How  close  and  searching  were 
his  addresses !  I  think  I  was  scarce  ever  so  happy 
before.  He  and  Dr.  Stonehouse  have  preached  alter- 
nately every  evening.  I  trust  my  journey  to  Bristol 
will  be  for  good.  0  that  my  health  and  strength 
may  be  wholly  employed  for  that  blessed  Redeemer 
who  has  done  such  great  things  for  me." 

A  few  weeks  find  her  much  recruited  in  strength, . 
and  she  is  now  at  Bristol,  interesting  herself  and  her 
friends  to  procure  subscribers  for  the  last  three  volumes 
of  "  The  Family  Expositor,"  just  completed.  This 
Doddridge  esteemed  his  "  capital  work,"  which  he 
began  to  prepare  on  his  first  entrance  into  the  minis- 
try, and  always  kept  in  view  through  all  his  sub- 
sequent studies.  On  transmitting  to  him  a  long  list 
of  additional  subscribers,  "  I  have  the  unspeakable 
pleasure  of  communicating  intelligence  that  will  re- 
joice my  much-esteemed  friend,"  she  says.  "  Most 
earnestly  do  I  pray  the  Lord  of  all  lords  to  prolong 
your  valuable  life,  and  give  you  strength  and  abilities 
for  the  publication  of  a  work  so  calculated  to  promote 
the  glory  of  his  name,  and  the  everlasting  good  of 
mankind." 

Alas,  there  were  symptoms  that  this  valuable  life 
was  on  its  wane.  His  early  winter  cold  has  never  left 
him.  Months  pass  away  and  there  is  no  abatement 
of  his  cough.    Anxiety  and  fear  creep  into  the  bosom 


DODDRIDGE. 


91 


of  his  family.  The  skill  of  his  physician  seems  baffled. 
The  tenderest  nursing  loses  its  healing  power.  Every 
thing  is  expected  from  the  benign  influences  of  spring ; 
and  while  hope  alternates  with  fear  in  the  hearts  of 
his  friends,  he  is  urged,  as  milder  weather  approaches, 
to  leave  his  laborious  charge  at  Northampton,  and 
try  a  change  of  air  and  scene. 

"  Use  all  means,"  wrote  one  in  impassioned  accents, 
"  use  all  means  to  repair  your  frame  and  prolong  your 
usefulness ;  this  is  not  only  needful  for  Northampton 
and  its  adjacent  towns  and  villages,  but  desirable  to 
us  all  and  beneficial  to  our  whole  interests.  Stay, 
Doddridge,  0  stay  and  strengthen  our  hands,  whose 
shadows  grow  long.  Fifty  is  but  the  height  of  use- 
fulness, vigor,  and  honor.  Providence  hath  not  directed 
thee  yet  on  whom  to  drop  thy  mantle.  Who  shall 
instruct  our  youth,  fill  our  vacant  churches,  animate 
our  associations,  and  diffuse  a  spirit  of  piety,  moder- 
ation, candor,  and  charity  throughout  our  villages 
and  churches,  and  a  spirit  of  prayer  and  supplication 
into  our  towns  and  cities,  when  thou  art  removed 
from  us  ?  Especially,  who  shall  rescue  us  from  the 
bondage  of  systems,  party  opinions,  empty,  useless 
speculations,  and  fashionable  forms  and  phrases,  and 
point  out  to  us  the  simple,  intelligible,  consistent, 
uniform  religion  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  ?" 

With  the  soft  influences  of  the  season,  and  the 
exhilaration  produced  by  easy  journeying  through 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  of  the  kingdom,  the 
invalid  seemed  to  revive  ;  those  less  acquainted  with 
the  nattering  nature  of  his  disease,  even  looked  for 


92 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


recovery,  but  every  auspicious  token  was  speedily 
dissipated  when  with  the  increasing  warm  weather 
he  grew  more  languid  and  feeble.  A  sea-voyage  is 
now  the  last  sad  resort,  and  his  physician  advises  a 
trip  to  Lisbon.  The  expense  being  beyond  his  lim- 
ited means,  Lady  Huntington  generously  contributed 
one  hundred  pounds,  which,  with  the  aid  rendered  by 
Lady  Fanny  Shirley,  Lady  Chesterfield,  and  a  few 
others,  was  raised  to  three  hundred;  "  and  this,"  she 
says,  "  with  what  his  friends  among  the  dissenters 
may  collect,  will,  I  hope,  be  of  essential  service  in  pro- 
curing him  every  comfort  which  his  almost  helpless 
state  requires." 

Early  in  September  we  learn  she  is  at  Bath,  in 
devoted  attendance  upon  Dr.  Doddridge,  who  is  in  a 
deep-seated  consumption,  but  who  is  to  set  out  in  a 
few  days  in  order  to  embark  at  Falmouth  for  Lisbon, 
whence  Dr.  Oliver  thinks  "he  will  never  return." 

The  tenderest  and  deepest  solicitude  is  felt  by 
his  many  friends  all  over  the  kingdom ;  numerous 
letters  daily  arrive  filled  with  anxious  inquiries  after 
his  health ;  and  affection  and  skill  do  their  utmost  to 
relieve  him.  "  My  soul,"  he  says,  "  is  vigorous  and 
healthy,  notwithstanding  the  hastening  decay  of  this 
frail  and  tottering  body.  It  is  not  for  the  love  of 
sunshine,  or  the  variety  of  meats,  that  1  desire  life ; 
but,  if  it  please  (rod,  that  I  may  render  him  a  little 
more  service."  How  did  he  regard  the  approaching 
voyage  ? 

"  The  means  I  am  about  pursuing,"  he  hoarsely 
whispers,  "to  save  life,  so  far  as  I  am  solely  con- 


DODDRIDGE . 


93 


cerned,  are  to  my  apprehension  worse  than  death. 
My  profuse  night-sweats  are  very  weakening  to  my 
material  frame ;  but  the  most  distressing  nights  to 
this  frail  body  have  been  as  the  beginning  of  hea  ven 
to  my  soul.  God  hath,  as  it  were,  let  heaven  down 
upon  me  in  those  nights  of  weakness  and  waking. 
Blessed  be  his  name." 

Yet  friends  urge  it,  and  he  consents.  On  the 
morning  of  his  departure,  Lady  Huntington  entered 
his  room  and  found  him  weeping  over  the  open  Bible 
lying  before  him. 

"  You  are  in  tears,  sir,"  she  said. 

"  I  am  weeping,  madam,"  replied  the  doctor  in  a 
faint,  yet  calm  tone,  "  but  they  are  tears  of  joy  and 
comfort.  I  can  give  up  my  country,  my  friends,  my 
relatives,  into  the  hands  of  God;  and  as  to  myself, 
I  can  as  well  go  to  heaven  from  Lisbon,  as  from  my 
own  study  at  Northampton." 

"  I  see  indeed  no  prospect  of  recovery,"  again  said 
the  almost  dying  man,  "yet  my  heart  rejoiceth  in 
my  God  and  my  Saviour,  and  I  can  call  him,  under 
this  failure  of  every  thing  else,  its  strength  and  ever- 
lasting portion.  God  hath  indeed  been  wonderfully 
good  to  me,  but  I  am  less  than  the  least  of  his  mer- 
cies, less  than  the  least  hope  of  his  children.  Adored 
be  his  grace  for  whatever  it  hath  wrought  by  me." 

After  a  fatiguing  journey  of  ten  days,  owing  to 
the  wetness  of  the  season  and  the  bad  state  of  the 
roads,  he  reached  Falmouth,  and  was  hospitably 
received  into  the  house  of  Dr.  Turner,  a  clergyman  of 
the  English  church.   On  the  night  before  embarking, 


94 


LADY  HUNTING- TON. 


some  of  his  worst  symptoms,  which  had  been  for  a 
while  checked,  returned  with  great  violence,  so  that 
his  wife  entreated  that  the  voyage  might  be  given 
up.  "  The  die  is  cast,  and  I  will  go,"  was  the  quiet 
answer. 

"  On  the  30th  of  September,"  writes  one  of  him, 
"  accompanied  by  his  anxious  wife  and  servant,  he 
sailed  from  Falmouth ;  and,  revived  by  the  soft  breezes 
and  the  ship's  stormless  progress,  he  sat  in  his  easy- 
chair  in  the  cabin  enjoying  the  brightest  thoughts  of 
all  his  life.  i  Such  transporting  views  of  the  heavenly 
world  is  my  Father  now  indulging  me  with,  as  no 
words  can  express,'  was  his  frequent  exclamation  to 
the  tender  partner  of  his  voyage  ;  and  when  the  ship 
was  gliding  up  the  Tagus,  and  Lisbon  with  its  groves 
and  gardens  and  sunny  towers  stood  before  them,  so 
animating  was  the  spectacle,  that  affection  hoped  he 
might  yet  recover.  That  hope  was  vain.  Bad  symp- 
toms soon  came  on,  and  the  chief  advantage  of  the 
change  was,  that  it  perhaps  rendered  dissolution  more 
easy.  On  the  26th  of  October,  1751,  at  the  age  of 
50,  he  ceased  from  his  labors,  and  soon  after  was  laid 
in  the  burying- ground  of  the  English  factory." 

"  God  is  all-sufficient,  and  my  only  hope,"  writes 
the  afflicted  wife  to  her  family  at  Northampton.  "  Oh, 
my  dear  children,  help  me  to  praise  Him.  Such 
supports,  such  consolations,  such  comforts  has  he 
granted,  that  my  mind  at  times  is  astonished  and  is 
ready  to  burst  into  songs  of  praise  under  its  most  ex- 
quisite distress.  As  to  outward  comforts,  God  has 
withheld  no  good  thing  from  me  but  has  given  me 


DODDRIDGE. 


95 


all  the  assistance  and  all  the  supports  that  the  ten- 
derest  friendship  was  capable  of  affording  me,  and 
which  I  think  my  dear  Northampton  friends  could 
not  have  exceeded.  Their  prayers  are  not  lost.  I 
doubt  not  1  am  reaping  the  benefit  of  them,  and  I 
hope  that  you  will  do  the  same." 

Such  is  the  eloquent  utterance  of  the  believer.  "  I 
will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times ;  his  praise  shall  con- 
tinually be  in  my  mouth.  Oh,  taste  and  see  that  the 
Lord  is  good  :  blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
him.    There  is  no  want  to  them  that  fear  him." 

Nor  can  we  let  pass  the  sound  preacher,  the  suc- 
cessful writer,  the  beloved  pastor,  without  a  grateful 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  Doddridge  as  the  sweet 
lyrist  of  Grod's  people.  Has  he  not  given  a  voice  to 
the  most  cherished  emotions  of  the  soul  ?  Has  he  not 
been  with  us  on  our  covenant-day,  and  with  exquisite 
pathos  bid 

 t:  the  glowing  heart  rejjice 

And  tell  its  raptures  all  abroad  ?" 

Beset  with  foes  and  ready  to  faint  by  the  way,  world- 
weary,  have  not  his  stirring  words  come  to  us  like 
the  breath  of  heaven  ? 

"  A  cloud  of  witnesses  around, 
Hold  thee  in  full  survey  : 
Forget  the  steps  already  trod. 
And  onward  urge  thy  way." 

Has  he  not  stayed  the  tear  in  its  fountain  by  the 
exhilarating  prospect, 

"  Fast  as  ye  bring  the  night  of  death, 
Ye  bring  eternal  day  0" 


9G 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


And  he  must  ever  be  a  sweet  singer  to  the  Israel  of 
(rod  until  the  coming  of  the  new  Jerusalem,  where 
is  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither 
any  more  pain,  for  the  former  things-  have  passed 
away. 


THE  TABERNACLE. 


97 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  TABERNACLE— VENN  — PREACHING  TOURS. 

The  present  inhabitants  in  and  around  Moorfields 
in  London  would  hardly  be  willing  to  acknowledge 
the  sorry  figure  which  Moorfields  made  a  little  more 
than  a  hundred  years  ago.  This  tract  of  land,  just 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  old  city  wall,  was,  as  its 
name  indicates,  a  marsh,  and  impassable  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  Having  been  partially  drained,  a 
brickkiln  was  erected,  and  the  first  brick  used  in 
London  were  manufactured  there.  Afterwards  it  was 
a  field  for  the  practice  of  archery,  when  it  was  laid 
out  in  walks  and  called  the  City  Mall.  Though  im- 
proved in  name  and  appearance,  it  became  the  rally- 
ing ground  of  all  the  rabble  in  London  ;  wrestlers, 
boxers,  and  mountebanks,  the  idle,  the  dissolute,  and 
profane  held  here  their  daily  and  nightly  revels.  It 
appeared  in  fact  to  be  one  of  the  strong-holds  of  Satan, 
and  therefore  became  a  most  tempting  and  important 
point  of  attack  for  the  daring  eloquence  of  "Whitefield. 
All  London  rang  one  day  with  the  announcement 
that  "Whitefield  would  preach  the  day  following  at 
Moorfields  ;  this  was  in  January,  1739. 

"  The  thing  being  strange  and  new,"  says  Gillies, 
"  he  found,  on  coming  out  of  the  coach,  an  incredible 
number  of  people  assembled.  Many  told  him  he 
would  never  come  out  of  that  place  alive.    He  went 

Huntington.  5 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


in  however  between  two  friends,  who  by  the  pressure 
of  the  crowd  were  soon  parted  from  him  entirely,  and 
obliged  to  leave  him  to  the  mercy  of  the  rabble.  But 
these  instead  of  hurting  him  formed  a  lane  for  him, 
and  carried  him  along  to  the  middle  of  the  fields, 
where  a  table  had  been  placed  ;  this  however  having 
been  broken  by  the  crowd,  he  mounted  a  wall  and 
preached  to  an  exceeding  great  multitude  in  tones  so 
melting,  that  his  words  drew  tears  and  groans  from 
the  most  abandoned.  Moorfields  became  henceforth 
one  of  the  principal  scenes  of  his  triumphs.  Thirty 
thousand  people  sometimes  gathered  to  hear  him,  and 
generous  contributions  here  flowed  in  for  his  orphan- 
house  at  Bethesda.  On  one  occasion  twenty  pounds 
were  received  in  half-pennies,  more  than  one  person 
was  able  to  carry  away,  and  enough  to  put  one  out  of 
conceit  with  a  specie  currency." 

Before  AVhitefield  went  to  Georgia,  in  1738,  a 
temporary  shed  had  been  roughly  thrown  up  to  screen 
the  people  from  the  cold,  and  called  a  Tabernacle,  in 
allusion  to  the  movable  sanctuary  of  the  Israelites  in 
the  wilderness.  A  more  spacious  edifice  was  now 
projected.  The  matter  first  came  up  for  discussion 
in  the  summer  of  1751,  when  Doddridge,  Stonehouse, 
Hervey,  and  Whitefield  happened  to  meet  together  at 
Lady  Huntington's  in  Ashby.  .  During  the  following 
winter  Whitefield  began  to  make  collections  for  the 
object,  and  on  almost  its  first  presentation  at  London 
nine  hundred  pounds  were  subscribed.  "  But,"  he 
says,  "on  the  principle  that  burned  children  dread  the 
fire,  I  do  not  mean  to  begin  until  I  get  one  thousand 


THE  TABERNACLE. 


99 


in  hand,  and  then  to  contract  at  a  certain  sum  for  the 
whole."  The  fact  was,  Whitefield  had  often  been  in 
great  straits  for  the  support  of  his  orphan-house  over 
the  sea,  "  for  I  forgot,"  he  tells  us,  "to  recollect  that 
Professor  Franke  built  in  Grlaucha,  in  a  populous 
country,  and  that  I  was  building  at  the  very  tail  of 
the  world."  In  accordance  with  this  prudent  resolu- 
tion, it  was  not  until  March,  1753,  that  he  writes  to 
Charles  Wesley,  "  On  Tuesday  morning  the  first 
brick  of  our  new  Tabernacle  was  laid  with  awful 
solemnity.  I  preached  from  Exodus:  'In  all  places 
where  I  record  my  name,  I  will  come  unto  thee  and 
bless  thee.'  The  wall  is  now  about  a  yard  high. 
The  building  is  to  be  eighty  feet  square.  It  is  on 
the  old  spot.  We  have  bought  the  house,  and  if  we 
finish  what  we  have  begun,  shall  be  rent  free  for 
forty-six  years." 

In  June  it  was  ready  for  the  opening  services,  and 
though  capable  of  holding  four  thousand  people,  was 
crowded  to  suffocation.  Whitefield  was  now  solicited 
to  hold  public  services  at  the  west  end  of  London, 
and  Long-acre  chapel,  then  under  the  charge  of  a 
dissenter,  was  offered  for  his  use.  An  unruly  rabble 
tried  to  drive  the  preacher  from  his  post ;  but  a  run- 
ning fire  of  brickbats,  broken  glass,  bells,  drums,  and 
clappers,  neither  annoyed  nor  frightened  the  intrepid 
evangelist,  nor  did  a  hierarchal  interference  which 
followed  hard  after,  prohibiting  his  preaching  in  an 
incorporated  chapel.  "  I  hope  you  will  not  look  upon 
it  as  contumacy,"  said  Whitefield  to  the  bishop,  "  if 
I  persist  in  prosecuting  my  design  until  I  am  more 


100 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


particularly  apprized  wherein  I  have  erred.  I  trust 
the  irregularity  I  am  charged  with  will  appear  justi- 
fiable to  every  lover  of  English  liberty,  and  what  is 
all  to  me,  be  approved  at  the  awful  and  impartial 
tribunal  of  the  great  Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  souls." 

"  My  greatest  distress,"  he  says  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington in  the  course  of  these  proceedings,  "is  so  to 
act  as  to  avoid  rashness  on  the  one  hand  and  timidity 
on  the  other ;"  and  this  shows,  what  in  truth  his  whole 
life  showed,  an  entire  absence  of  that  malignant  ele- 
ment of  fanaticism  which  courts  opposition  and  revels 
in  it. 

Determined  not  to  be  beaten  from  his  ground,  yet 
hoping  to  escape  some  of  its  annoyances,  Whitefield 
resolved  to  build  a  chapel  of  his  own.  Hence  arose 
Tottenham-court  chapel,  which  went  by  the  name 
of  "  Whitefield's  soul-trap."  "  I  pray  the  Friend  of 
sinners  to  make  it  a  soul-trap  indeed  to  many  wan- 
dering creatures,"  said  he.  "  My  constant  work  is 
preaching  fifteen  times  a  week.  Conviction  and  con- 
version go  on  here,  for  Grod  hath  met  us  in  our  new 
building." 

This  chapel  was  opened  in  November,  1756,  accord- 
ing to  the  forms  of  the  church  of  England,  and  licensed 
under  the  Toleration  Act,  as  other  houses  of  prayer. 
Twelve  almshouses  and  a  chapel-house  were  added 
two  years  after.  The  lease  granted  by  General  George 
Fitzroy  to  Mr.  Whitefield  having  expired  in  182.8,  it 
was  purchased  by  the  trustees  and  reopened  in  1830, 
when  Rev.  William  Jay  preached  the  reopening  ser- 
mon.   The  chapei  at  present  is  a  handsome  building, 


THE  TABERNACLE. 


101 


the  exterior  coated  with  stucco  and  ornamented  with 
pilasters  ;  the  interior  is  neat  and  tasteful.  Its  pres- 
ent pulpit  is  the  same  in  which  Whitefield  preached. 
Among  the  monumental  tablets,  you  read  the  names 
of  Whitefield,  Toplady,  and  Joss. 

It  was  before  the  new  Tabernacle  was  completed 
•that  we  find  Whitefield,  in  one  of  his  summer  tours, 
revisiting  Scotland,  and  domiciled  at  the  hospitable 
mansion  of  Mr.  James  Nimmo  at  Edinburgh,  a  gentle- 
man of  high  birth  and  unaffected  piety.  This  was  his 
third  visit  to  the  north,  the  first  of  which  took  place  in 
1741 ;  and  greater  multitudes  than  ever  now  flocked 
to  hear  him.  While  in  Edinburgh,  though  much 
indisposed  by  chills  and  fever,  he  continued  to  preach 
twice  a  day,  early  in  the  morning  and  at  six  in  the 
evening.  "  Your  ladyship's  health,"  he  says  in  a 
letter  to  Lady  Huntington,  "  is  drank  and  inquired 
after  every  day.  Mr.  Nimmo  and  his  family  are  in 
the  number  of  those  who  are  left  in  Sardis,  and  have 
not  denied  their  garments."  A  letter  from  Lady 
Jane,  who  is  the  friend  and  correspondent  of  Lady 
Huntington,  reveals  to  us  not  only  a  lively  picture  of 
the  religious  movements  at  the  Scotch  capital,  but  the 
high  consideration  with  which  Lady  Huntington  is 
regarded  by  the  people  of  Grod  in  that  quarter. 

"  Accept  my  thanks  for  your  very  obliging  mes- 
sage by  Mr.  Whitefield,  and  I  hope  to  avail  myself  of 
your  very  kind  offer  the  first  time  I  go  to  London 
with  Mr.  Nimmo.  Your  ladyship  will  rejoice  to  hear 
what  crowds  flock  to  hear  Mr.  Whitefield.  The 
energy  and  power  of  the  gospel  word  is  truly  remark- 


102 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


able..  Dear  Lady  Frances  Grardiner  is  very  active 
in  bringing  people  to  hear  him.  There  is  a  great 
awakening  among  all  classes.  Truth  is  great  and 
will  prevail,  notwithstanding  all  manner  of  evil  is 
spoken  against  it.  The  fields  are  more  than  white 
and  ready  unto  the  harvest  in  Scotland.  Many  pray- 
ers are  offered  up  for  your  ladysliip,  and  many  bless 
God  for  your  sending  your  chaplain  into  these  parts. 
The  infinitely  condescending  Redeemer  vouchsafes  to 
bless  your  labors  for  the  good  of  souls  in  England, 
and  your  ladyship  will  shortly  have  my  native  coun- 
try to  add  to  the  brilliancy  of  that  diadem  which 
will  adorn  your  brow  in  the  great  day  of  the  Lord. 
I  blush  and  am  confounded  when  I  think  to  what 
little  purpose  I  have  lived.  I  beg,  dear  madam,  you 
will  pray  for  me.  I  feel  under  manifold  obligations 
to  you,  and  hope  to  spend  an  eternity  with  you  in 
praising  that  grace  and  love  that  has  plucked  us  as 
brands  from  the  burning.  Mr.  Nimmo  besrs  his  most 
cordial  salutations  to  you,  yours,  and  all  who  love 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  wishing  you  the  best  of 
blessings,  I  subscribe  myself,  my  dear  madam,  your 
ladyship's,  most  affectionately  in  our  common  Lord, 

"JANE  NIMMO." 

About  this  time  two  gentlemen  came  from  Amer- 
ica to  solicit  contributions  for  Princeton  college.  These 
were  Mr.  Allen  and-  Colonel  Williams.  They  brought 
letters  of  introduction  from  General  Belcher  of  New 
Jersey  to  Lady  Huntington,  who  collected  consider- 
able sums  for  the  object.  Mr.  Allen  died  in  two 
months  after  his  arrival  of  a  disease  called  the  jail 


THE  TABERNACLE. 


103 


fever,  first  known  in  1750,  at  the  summer  session  of 
Old  Bailey.  Three  years  afterwards,  Messrs.  Ten- 
nent  and  Davies  were  sent  over  to  reawaken  the 
interest  and  further  the  cause. 

Among  the  publications  of  the  day  appeared 
"  Theron  and  Aspasio,"  by  Hervey,  in  which  the 
doctrines  of  the  cross  were  illustrated  and  enforced 
in  the  form  of  dialogue.  "  Thank  God  for  the  mas- 
terly defence  of  them  in  these  dialogues,"  exclaimed 
Romaine. 

The  book  was  dedicated  to  Lady  Fanny  Shirley, 
who  became  the  appreciating  patron  and  warm  friend 
of  the  invalid  and  retiring  preacher.  Though  long 
gone  by,  these  dialogues  are  still  well  worth  reading, 
both  for  the  truths  they  teach  and  the  spirit  which 
they  breathe.  Let  us  go  and  see  Hervey  on  a 
Sunday. 

"  Last  Sabbath-day,  after  preaching  in  the  morn- 
ing at  Olneyj  with  three  others  I  rode  to  hear  one 
Mr.  Hervey,  a  minister  of  the  church  of  England, 
who  preached  at  Collingtree,  and  to  my  great  sur- 
prise as  well  as  satisfaction,  having  never  seen  such 
a  thing  before  in  prayer- time,  instead  of  singing 
psalms  they  sung  two  of  Dr.  Watts'  hymns,  the  clerk 
giving  them  out  line  by  line :  after  prayer,  without 
going  out  of  the  desk,  the  minister  put  off  his  surplice 
and  turned  to  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  St.  Matthew, 
which  was  the  second  lesson  of  the  day,  and  told  the 
people  what  pleasure  had  occurred  in  his  mind  while 
reading  the  parable  of  our  Saviour's  feeding  the  four 
thousand  men,  besides  women  and  children,  with 


104 


LADY  H U N 1 1 N < j 1 0 >" . 


seven  loaves  and  a  few  little  fishes :  he  then  spoke 
in  a  plain,  simple  manner  ahout  it,  and  afterwards 
spiritualized  it  by  observing  what  great  things  the 
Lord  sometimes  does  by  small  things  and  weak 
instruments.  And  then,  without  going  up  into  the 
pulpit,  he  turned  to  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  Ephe- 
sians,  and  read  the  twenty-fifth,  twenty-sixth,  and 
twenty-seventh  verses,  and  very  sweetly  and  clearly 
he  spoke  from  them ;  showing  the  meaning  of  those 
words  in  the  creed,  I  believe  in  the  holy  catholic 
church,  wherein  he  observed,  They  do  not  believe  in 
the  church,  as  in  Grod  Almighty  and  in  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  ;  but  the  meaning,  he  observed,  was. 
I  believe  G-od  has  a  holy  catholic  church ;  and  the 
word  catholic  signifies  universal ;  that  there  always 
was,  now  is,  and  will  be  a  church  of  Christ.  He 
then  from  the  holy  word  showed  who  were  the  mem- 
bers of  this  church ;  such  as  were  cleansed,  washed, 
or  justified  from  their  sins  in  the  blood  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  and  here  he  spoke  very  clearly  to  the 
people,  and  told  them  that  all  were  not  of  or  in  this 
church,  which  he  compared  to  Noah  and  his  family 
in  the  ark  being  safe,  when  all  the  rest  were  drowned 
in  the  deluge.  In  like  manner  he  showed,  notwith- 
standing their  coming  to  that  place  or  building,  if 
they  were  not  members  of  that  church  he  had  been 
describing,  by  being  united  to  Jesus  Christ  by  faith, 
they,  as  the  people  out  of  the  ark,  must  perish  at  last. 
And  as  he  had  been  telling  them  who  were  members 
of  this  church,  he  spoke  in  a  humble  way  of  himself 
as  being  an  unworthy  member  thereof.    And  now 


VENN. 


105 


having  shown  what  was  meant  by  the  church,  and 
who  were  its  members,  he  showed  lastly,  from  the 
words  that  were  read,  what  were  the  church's  privi- 
leges. Thus  far  I  have  been  particular,  for  such  a 
way  of  proceeding  in  the  church  of  England  seems 
wonderful  to  me.  But  what  shall  we  say  ?  Grod 
is  no  respecter  of  persons,  neither  of  places.  This 
Mr.  Hervey  expounds  every  Wednesday  night,  cate- 
chizes the  children,  and  meets  some  people  on  Tues- 
days and  Thursdays  in  or  near  the  parish  where  he 
lives." 

Surely  here  is  in  very  deed  a  servant  of  the  true 
spiritual  church  of  the  Redeemer,  bought  with  his 
own  precious  blood. 

Rev.  Bryan  Broughton,  secretary  of  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  was  also  one  of 
the  original  Oxford  band.  Now  living  at  London, 
college  friendships  are  kept  alive,  and  he  is  still  the 
friend  and  associate  of  Whitefield  and  the  Wesleys. 
There  came  to  our  house,  he  says,  the  newly  ap- 
pointed curate  of  St.  Matthews,  a  young  man,  whose 
fresh  and  earnest  spirit  was  prepared  to  regard  the 
new  religious  movements  of  the  time  with  candid 
and  inquiring  interest.  "  Are  these  things  from  God  ?" 
he  asked  reverently. 

His  name  is  Henry  Venn,  whose  "  Complete  Duty 
of  Man"  is  now  among  the  choice  and  sterling  books 
of  our  religious  libraries.  Law's  "  Serious  Call"  had 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind,  and  he  was 
endeavoring  .to  meet  its  stern  and  uncompromising 
demands  upon  his  moral  nature.    Like  the  Wesleys 


106 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


at  Oxford,  he  prescribed  to  himself  a  rigid  course  of 
fasting  and  prayer.  He  determined  resolutely  to 
grapple  with  the  evil  of  his  nature,  and  compel  his 
rebel  affections  to  do  homage  to  their  Lord.  But  the 
course  thus  marked  out  could  not  meet  his  wants. 
No  self- inflictions  could  reach  the  necessities  of  the 
case.  He  now  became  acquainted  with  Whitefield, 
Lady  Huntington,  and  others  like-minded,  who  from 
their  own  fervent  experience  could  point  him  to  "the 
Lamb  of  God,  ichich  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world"  A  severe  and  long-continued  illness,  which 
broke  in  upon  his  public  labors,  gave  him  time  for 
deep  searching  of  heart  and  uninterrupted  meditation 
upon  divine  truth.  His  views  of  doctrine  grew  clearer, 
and  salvation  by  the  blood  of  Christ  as  the  grand 
central  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  became  distinct 
and  precious  to  his  soul. 

When  he  again  went  forth  to  his  ministry,  he 
went  in  the  might  of  a  crucified  and  risen  Saviour, 
deeply  imbued  with  that  spirit  of  prayer  and  holy 
consecration  which. made  his  conversation,  his  preach- 
ing, and  his  writings  so  eminently  useful  in  his  day. 
Soon  after  his  recovery  he  accompanied  Whitefield 
upon  a  preaching  tour  into  Gloucestershire,  where 
they  proclaimed  to  immense  crowds  the  glad  tidings 
of  the  gospel.  At  Clifton  they  were  welcomed  and 
hospitably  entertained  by  Lady  Huntington,  and  here 
Venn  met  many  kindred  spirits,  whose  sympathy  and 
knowledge  in  divine  things  quickened  and  rejoiced 
his  spirit. 

In  1759  he  received  the  large  and  valuable  living 


VENN. 


107 


of  Huddersfield  in  West  Yorkshire,  one  hundred  and 
ninety  miles  north-west  of  London,  and  Mr.  Venn 
became  the  apostle  of  the  region.  He  was  instant 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  exhorting,  rebuking, 
reproving  with  all  long-suffering  and  patience. 

"  Preach  Christ  crucified  as  the  only  foundation 
of  the  sinner's  hope,"  wrote  Lady  Huntington  to 
him,  "  and  may  your  bow  abide  in  strength.  Be 
bold,  be  firm,  be  decisive.  Let  Christ  be  the  alpha 
and  omega  of  all  your  addresses  to  your  fellow-men, 
and  may  the  gracious  benediction  of  your  heavenly 
Master  rest  upon  you." 

Pastoral  fidelity  was  one  of  the  chief  excellences 
of  this  man  of  Grod.  He  made  frequent  visits  to  all 
the  different  hamlets  of  his  extensive  parish,  collect- 
ing together  those  who  could  not  attend  divine  wor- 
ship on  the  Sabbath,  and  instructing  them  from  house 
to  house. 

"I  have  delightful  accounts  from  Huddersfield," 
said  his  patron,  "of  the  wonderful  manner  in  which 
the  ministry  of  their  faithful  and  laborious  vicar  is 
blessed  to  that  people;  and  what  is  gratifying,  his 
health  was  never  better." 

"We  cannot  but  look  with  surprise  upon  the  pro- 
digious labors  of  many  in  the  ministry  at  this  period, 
when  work  and  health  and  long  life  seemed  to  go 
hand  in  hand.  Hard  roads,  rough  weather,  pressing 
service,  threats,  and  opposition  never  daunted,  nor 
discouraged,  nor  interrupted  their  labors.  They  shrunk 
from  no  toils.  "  Heart  within  and  Grod  for  head," 
they  proved  themselves  patient  and  hardy  laborers, 


108 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


simple  in  their  habits,  strong  in  faith,  and  solicitous 
chiefly  about  the  furtherance  of  the  kingdom  of  their 
Lord  and  Master. 

Yorkshire,  one  of  the  largest  counties  of  England, 
is  washed  by  the  German  ocean,  and  is  divided  into 
east,  west,  and  north  ridings.  It  contains  many 
ranges  of  high  land,  and  is  watered  by  the  Ouse,  Don, 
Humber,  and  Aire.  This  was  the  native  county  and 
principal  theatre  of  the  labors  of  Benjamin  Ingham, 
one  of  Wesley's  college  band.  On  leaving  Oxford  in 
1734,  he  went  to  his  mother's  house,  where  he  used 
to  collect  little  companies  about  the  neighborhood  and 
expound  to  them  the  word  of  God.  "With  the  Wes- 
leys  he  went  to  Georgia,  and  labored  at  a  small 
Indian  mission  a  few  miles  from  Savannah.  He 
learned  the  language,  made  a  grammar,  and  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  wild  sons  of  the  forest.  On 
the  return  of  the  brothers  to  England,  he  accompa- 
nied them,  and  shortly  revisited  his  native  county. 
At  Wakefield,  Leeds,  and  Halifax  he  preached  with 
marvellous  power.  This  provoked  ecclesiastical  cen- 
sure, and  he  was  prohibited  the  use  of  the  churches 
throughout  the  diocese  of  York.  Not  at  all  dismayed 
or  discouraged,  he  betook  himself  to  the  fields,  where 
crowds  of  hungry  hearers  hung  upon  his  lips  :  every- 
where the  common  people  heard  him  gladly ;  others 
also  were  subdued  by  his  searching  and  personal  ap- 
peals. The  Hastings  of  Ledstone-hall  lent  an  ear  to 
his  instructions,  and  embraced  the  truths  thus  heart- 
ily and  zealously  enforced.  In  1741,  as  has  been 
related,  he  married  Lady  Margaret  Hastings,  Earl 


ORIMSHAW. 


109 


Huntington's  youngest  sister,  and  made  his  home  at 
Aberford. 

Coworker  with  Ingham  was  "William  G-rimshaw 
of  Haworth.  Haworth  is  a  bleak  and  unpromising 
little  parish,  embracing  four  hamlets,  which  afford 
little  to  interest  the  fastidious  ;  but  they  enclosed  the 
joys  and  sorrows,  the  sins  and  the  infirmities  of  hu- 
manity, and  this  made  them  worthy  of  the  curate's 
best  endeavors.  Besides  his  Sabbath  service,  G-rim- 
shaw established  two  circuits,  which  he  went  over 
every  week  alternately.  On  what  he  called  his  idle 
week,  he  preached  twelve  or  fourteen  times ;  his 
busy  week  from  twenty-four  to  thirty,  going  also 
from  house  to  house,  visiting  the  sick,  instructing 
the  ignorant,  comforting  the  sorrowful,  and  helping 
the  aged  towards  heaven. 

One  of  the  most  violent  opposers  of  Grrimshaw 
and  Ingham  was  the  vicar  of  Colne,  a  town  on  the 
borders  of  Yorkshire.  On  hearing  of  the  arrival  of 
any  of  the  awakened  preachers  into  his  neighborhood, 
he  used  to  call  the  people  together  by  beating  a  drum 
in  the  market-place,  and  enlisting  the  mob  for  the 
defence  of  the  church :  one  of  his  proclamations 
to  this  end  is  a  curious  specimen  of  ecclesiastical 
tactics. 

"  Notice  is  hereby  given,  that  if  any  man  be 
mindful  to  enlist  in  his  majesty's  service,  under  the 
command  of  Rev.  Greorge  White,  commander-in-chief, 
and  John  Banister,  lieut.-general  of  his  majesty's 
forces  for  the  defence  of  the  church  of  England,  and 
the  support  of  the  manufactory  in  and  about  Colne, 


110 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


of  both  of  which  are  now  in  danger,  let  him  repair 
to  the  drum-head  at  the  cross,  where  each  man  shall 
receive  a  pint  of  ale  in  advance,  and  all  other  proper 
encouragement." 

The  reckless  fury  of  a  force  thus  enlisted  may  he 
well  imagined :  the  preachers  often  ran  a  gauntlet 
for  their  lives ;  they  and  their  congregations  were 
pelted  with  stones  and  dirt,  trampled  into  the  mud, 
and  beaten  without  mercy ;  the  constables  often 
rivalling  the  vicar  in  his  violence  and  hatred  against 
them. 

Newton  was  much  in  Yorkshire  previous  to  his 
own  settlement,  loving  and  laboring  both  with  Ing- 
ham and  G-rimshaw.  "  I  forgot  to  tell  you,"  he  writes 
to  a  friend,  "that  I  had  the  honor  to  appear  as  a 
Methodist  preacher.  I  was  at  Haworth  ;  Mr.  Grrim- 
shaw  was  present  and  preached.  I  love  the  people 
called  Methodists,  and  vindicate  them  from  unjust 
aspersions,  and  suffer  the  reproach  of  the  world  for 
being  one  myself,  yet  it  seems  not  practicable  for  me 
to  join  them  farther  than  I  do  ;  for  the  present  I  must 
try  to  be  useful  in  private  life." 

Lady  Huntington  and  her  chaplains  often  jour- 
neyed during  the  summer,  making  their  presence  a 
means  of  religious  revival  wherever  they  went.  We 
find  her  now,  in  company  wi'th  Romaine,  travelling  in 
Yorkshire,  and  tarrying  at  Aberford,  guests  of  the 
Inghams.  Romaine  and  Ingham,  though  together  at 
college,  knew  and  cared  little  for  each  other  then  ; 
they  now  met  warm  and  intrepid  champions  of  the 
cross.     Lady  Margaret  felt  a  cordial  sympathy  for 


ROMAINE. 


Ill 


Romaine  in  his  London  trials  and  reverses,  and  gen- 
erously eked  out  his  small  income  from  her  own  purse ; 
while  her  husband  accompanied  him  on  preaching 
tours  throughout  the  north  of  England — Romaine 
preaching  wherever  he  could  obtain  a  pulpit,  and  Ing- 
ham exhorting  in  chapels  and  private  houses. 

At  Haworth,  a  large  crowd  having  assembled, 
Mr.  Grrimshaw  gave  out  word  that  "his  brother  Ro- 
maine  would  preach  the  glorious  gospel  from  brother 
Wliitefield's  pulpit  in  the  graveyard ;"  and  though  the 
announcement  did  not  quite  suit  the  preacher's  taste 
or  principles,  he  felt  it  was  no  time  for  a  minister  of 
Christ  to  stick  at  forms ;  Romaine  therefore  took  his 
stand  in  that  temple  not  made  with  hands,  and  pro- 
claimed the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

There  is  something  grand  and  beautiful  in  the 
laborious  and  unselfish  ministrations  of  the  band  of 
preachers  who  thus  went  out  into  the  highways  and 
hedges  of  England,  publishing  the  gospel  message  as 
if  fresh  from  Christ  and  Calvary.  We  feel  there  was 
vitality  and  power  in  their  utterances,  and  we  almost 
wish  that  ice  too  might  have  been  there  to  see  and 
hear.  We  look  around  in  our  own  time,  and  even 
with  all  the  multiplied  apparatus  of  church  extension 
in  our  day,  all  the  bustling  activity  of  our  societies  and 
anniversaries,  the  current  of  our  spiritual  life  seems 
tame  and  sluggish  compared  with  the  warm  and 
quickened  flow  of  theirs.  We  cannot  help  the  inquiry 
'•What  was  the  main  element  of  their  preaching, 
which  we  have  not  ?  Where  were  the  hidings  of 
that  wondrous  power  which  electrified  both  England 


112 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


and  her  colonies  ?  for  America  also  had  her  Edwards 
and  her  Tennents." 

It  was  not  learning  or  logic  merely,  though  some 
of  them  were  learned  and  giant  men;  it  was  not 
artistic  eloquence,  eloquent  as  they  were  ;  nor  was  it 
the  burning  of  a  sectarian  or  selfish  zeal :  it  was  a 
profound  and  vivid  sense  of  sin  and  redemption,  of 
heaven  and  hell — in  a  word,  of  the  stupendous  and 
solemn  issues  of  man's  moral  history ;  they  felt  the 
reality  and  the  grandeur  of  eternity. 

Nurtured  and  brought  up  with  the  Bible,  the 
catechism,  or  the  prayer-book,  many  men  have  only 
a  conventional  sort  of  piety :  they  believe  because 
nobody  questions;  they  preach  because  it  is  a  pro- 
fession, and  a  noble  one  ;  they  maintain  a  respectable 
standing  among  their  fellows ;  and  though  in  their 
more  spiritual  moments  they  may  conceive  of  that 
latent  heat  and  hidden  power,  the  divinity  which 
underlies  redemptive  truths,  they  yet  see  only  through 
a  glass  darkly,  and  make  little  progress.  Bufferings, 
aggression,  conquest  in  their  Master's  service,  how- 
ever they  may  have  been  elements  in  the  labors  of 
apostles  and  reformers,  form  no  part  of  their  inner  or 
outer  life — they  sail  on  no  such  stormy  seas.  Now 
let  this  inherited  and  passive  belief  in  the  truths  oi 
Christianity,  setting  easily  upon  us  like  a  fashionable 
garment,  become  instinct  with  life — let  the  curtain 
of  the  present  and  visible  world  be  suddenly  rent 
away,  and  ourselves  and  our  fellows  be  seen  hasten- 
ing to  eternal  joy  or  remediless  woe,  and  from  that 
hour  onward  we  are  altered  beings. 


ROMAINE. 


113 


It  was  tliis  quickened  apprehension  of  revealed 
truth,  this  deeper  intuition  into  man's  lost  estate, 
which  made  Paul  and  Peter,  Luther  and  Calvin, 
Whitefield  and  Wesley,  Edwards  and  Tennent  what 
they  were  ;  and  this  it  is  which  must  inspire  every 
true  reformer  of  the  church  or  the  world.  He  must 
discover  in  divine  truth  "the  substance  of  thing's 
hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  And 
this  is  faith,  the  gospel  faith,  in  its  own  integrity, 
simple  yet  powerful — simple,  for  the  child  can  grasp 
it,  and  mighty  enough  to  lay  hold  on  Grod  himself. 

Is  it  not  this  which  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  in 
our  own  time  need,  in  order  to  be  "true  and  faith- 
ful witnesses"  of  God,  and  to  carry  on  that  great 
aggressive  movement  into  the  kingdom  of  darkness, 
which  Jehovah  declares  is  the  mission  of  the  church  ? 
"For  this  purpose  have  I  raised  thee  up,  to  be  my 
salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Behold,  I  send 
thee  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles." 


114 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FAMILY  MATTERS  — CHAPELS  — BE  RRIDGE. 

In  the  winter  of  1756  and  1757  Lady  Huntington 
came  to  London  with  her  family,  and  had  her  house 
opened  twice  a  week  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
where  Romaine  and  Venn  principally  officiated. 

"I  rejoice,''  says  Whitefield,  "in  the  increase  of 
your  ladyship's  spiritual  routs.  I  can  guess  at  the 
consolation  such  scenes  must  give  to  your  soul.  No 
wonder  you  are  distressed  from  other  quarters.  In- 
deed, my  most  noble  and  ever  honored  patroness, 
thus  it  must  he.  Christ's  witnesses  must  he  purged 
at  home.  Inward  domestic  trials  fit  for  outward 
public  work.  Nature  recoils  when  constrained  to  take 
the  cross,  and  it  may  be  from  a  near  and  dear  rela- 
tion's hand  ;  but  infinite  wisdom  knows  what  is  best." 

The  precise  nature  of  these  trials  does  not  appear, 
unless  we  may  take  a  hint  of  them  from  the  Countess 
of  Hertford,  who  exclaims, 

"What  an  affliction  is  Lord  Huntington's  dislike 
to  religion  ;  and  what  have  not  my  Lords  Chesterfield 
and  Bolingbroke  to  answer  for.  But  he  is  most  ten- 
der, respectful,  and  kind  to  Lady  Huntington.  This 
is  some  consolation,  and  may  we  not  hope  that  in  a 
course  of  time  her  example  and  the  excellent  instruc- 
tion which  he  has  received  may  have  their  full  weight 


FAMILY  MATTERS. 


115 


on  his  character."  She  also  adds,  "He  is  a  most 
interesting,  elegant,  and  accomplished  young  noble- 
man, and  very  likely  to  make  seme  figure  in  the 
world.  He  was  much  affected  by  the  death  of  Miss 
Hotham,  to  whom  it  was  said  he  was  much  attached.'' 

Lady  Grertrude  Hotham,  sister  to  Lady  Chester- 
field, has  been  already  mentioned  as  one  of  the  num- 
ber who  dared  to  be  singular  for  the  Lord's  sake. 
Both  in  London  and  at  Bath,  she  opened  her  house 
to  the  ministratir  as  of  AYlutefield,  and  she  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  her  eldest  daughter  born  into  the 
spiritual  family  of  her  Lord.  Miss  Hotham  adorned 
her  Christian  profession  both  in  her  life  and  in  her 
death,  winch  took  place  in  the  bloom  of  a  ripe  and 
beautiful  womanhood.  While  ill,  many  prayers  were 
offered  for  her  recovery  at  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  supper  at  Lady  Huntington's,  Lady  Fanny 
Shirley's,  and  m  her  own  home.  One*  day  when  White- 
field  came  and  knelt  at  her  bedside,  she  was  desired 
to  remain  as  she  was.  "I  can  rise  to  take  physic," 
she  said  ;  "  vdiy  not  to  pray  ?"  Her  sick  chamber  bore 
the  flowers  *nd  fruits  of  a  thorough  Christian  experi- 
ence. She  fcmew  whom  she  had  believed,  for  the  hope 
which  she  nad  in  her  Saviour  was  indeed  like  an 
anchor  to  her  soul,  sure  and  steadfast ;  and  the  peace 
and  joy  which  she  expressed  even  in  the  pansrs  of 
dying,  served  in  a  most  affecting  and  striking  manner 
to  confirm,  in  the  minds  of  her  friends  and  companions 
of  the  gay  world,  the  precious  truths  of  that  gospel 
which  "NYhitefield  proclaimed  by  his  preaching. 

Lady  Elizabeth  Hastings,  Lady  Huntington's 


116 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


eldest  daughter,  married  the  Earl  of  Moira,  a  branch 
of  the  Huntington  family,  and  the  connection  seems 
to  have  given  much  satisfaction  ;  but  "Lady  Selina," 
says  one,  "is  the  greatest  comfort  to  her  mother  ;  she 
is  a  most  pious,  amiable,  and  affectionate  character  ;" 
so  that,  if  there  were  shadows  on  Lady  Huntington's 
household,  there  were  also  sunbeams. 

In  September,  1757,  we  behold  her  suddenly  call- 
ed to  Brighton  by  the  illness  of  her  fourth  son,  Honor- 
able Henry  Hastings,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years. 

"Oh  what  strong  physics  is  our  heavenly  Father 
obliged  to  give  us,"  wrote  Whitefield  to  the  bereaved 
mother.  "What  pruning- knives  do  these  luxuriant 
branches  require,  in  order  to  preserve  the  fruit  and 
delicacy  of  the  vine.  Blessed  be  Grod,  there  is  a  time 
coming  when  these  mysterious  providences  will  be 
explained.  May  the  Lord  Jesus  raise  you  up  many 
comforters.    Above  all,  may  he  come  himself." 

The  Lord  Jesus  came  himself,  and  so  healing  was 
his  heavenly  presence,  that  we  find  the  mourner  bear- 
ing the  precious  balm  to  the  humble  homes  in  her 
neighborhood.  Behold  her  at  the  obscure  lodgings  of 
a  poor  soldier's  wife,  carrying  her  food  to  eat  and 
raiment  to  put  on,  and  inviting  her  to  "the  Lamb  of 
Grod,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  The 
woman's  room  was  next  to  a  public  bakehouse,  where 
the  people  who  worked  at  the  oven  overheard  the 
pious  conversation  of  a  lady  through  a  crack  in  the 
ceiling.  When  her  visits  became  known,  other  pooi 
women  ,  begged  to  come  in  and  be  taught  also,  until 


FAMILY  MATTERS. 


117 


a  little  company  assembled  daily  with  whom  she  pray- 
ed, read,  and  explained  the  Scriptures.  One  day  a 
blacksmith,  notorious  for  his  wickedness,  swore  he 
would  go  to  the  meetings,  and  accordingly  forced  him- 
self in  behind  the  women.  When  Lady  Huntington 
entered  and  saw  a  man  in  the  corner,  she  was  about 
to  ask  him  to  withdraw,  but  on  second  thought  con- 
cluded to  go  on  as  usual.  Her  simple,  direct,  and 
affectionate  exhortations  touched  the  conscience  of 
the  bold  blasphemer.  He  who  came  to  scoff  went 
away  with  the  cry,  "Lord,  what  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  A  radical  change  took  place  in  his  charac- 
ter, and  for  nearly  twenty-nine  years  he  lived  to  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  his  Lord  and  Saviour. 

One  day  as  Lady  Huntington  was  walking  out, 
a  lady  suddenly  accosted  her,  "  Oh,  madam,  you  are 
come."  .Surprised  at  so  abrupt  an  address  from  an 
entire  stranger,  she  feared  the  woman  was  deranged. 
"What  do  you  know  of  me?"  asked  the  countess. 
"  Madam,  I  saw  you  in  a  dream  three  years  ago, 
Iressed  as  you  now  are,"  answered  the  stranger,  and 
then  related  other  circumstances  connected  with  the 
dream.  Singular  as  these  circumstances  were,  an 
acquaintance  was  formed  between  them,  and  Lady 
Huntington  became  instrumental  in  the  conversion 
of  her  new-found  friend,  who  died  a  year  afterwards 
in  the  triumphs  of  faith. 

Thus  did  this  remarkable  woman  lay  out  a  field 
for  the  labors  of  Whitefield,  who  visited  Brighton  in 
1759,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  under  a  spread- 
ing tree  in  the  midst  of  a  large  meadow. 


118 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Brighton,  or  Brighthelmstone,  as  it  was  then  com- 
monly called,  in  the  county  of  Sussex,  fifty-two  miles 
south  of  London,  was  not  at  that  time  the  famous 
watering-place  it  has  since  become.  Its  buildings 
were  comparatively  mean  and  its  population  poor, 
presenting  a  strong  contrast  to  the  splendid  edifices 
and  spacious  accommodations  which  now  make 
Brighton  one  of  the  favorite  summer  resorts  of  the 
English. 

A  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  was  kindled  among 
the  people.  They  hungered  for  the  bread  of  life. 
Nor  when  they  asked  bread,  could  they  be  satisfied 
with  a  stone,  or  husks,  for  they  wanted  that  of  which 
if  a  man  eat  he  shall  never  hunger.  A  small  soci- 
ety gathered  in  an  "  upper  chamber ;"  they  were 
poor  in  worldly  goods,  but  rich  in  faith ;  despised,  but 
not  forsaken.  In  order  to  strengthen  their  hands, 
Lady  Huntington  determined  to  build  a  small  chapel 
for  their  use  near  her  own  house  in  North-street, 
though  straightened  in  means,  for  her  benefactions 
were  already  numerous.  To  resolve,  with  her,  was  to 
accomplish.  "Wherein  could  she  curtail  ?  There  lay 
her  jewels,  long  since  put  aside  for  a  pearl  of  infinitely 
greater  price,  and  these  she  determined  to  offer  to 
her  Lord.  They  were  sold  for  six  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  pounds,  and  with  this  she  erected  a  neat  house 
of  worship,  which  was  opened  in  1760.  Here  Ro- 
maine,  Venn,  and  other  godly  men  labored  with  apos- 
tolic zeal,  and  though  their  work  was  often  evil- 
spoken  of,  the  Lord  "  added  to  the  church  daily  of 
such  as  should  be  saved."    Brighton  henceforth  be- 


CHAPELS. 


119 


came  one  of  her  favorite  places  of  residence.  This 
was  the  small  beginning  of  one  of  her  greatest  enter- 
prises— this  was  the  first  of  those  houses  of  divine 
worship  known  by  her  name,  which  in  a  few  years 
dotted  the  English  soil ;  and  its  interests  so  prospered, 
that  in  five  years  the  building  needed  a  considerable 
enlargement. 

On  the  day  previous  to  its  reopening,  she  set  apart 
several  hours  for  private  devotion,  like  Jacob  of  old, 
to  wrestle  with  Jacob's  Grod  for  his  blessing  on.  this 
sanctuary  reared  to  his  name ;  and  in  the  evening  a 
meeting  was  held  at  her  house  for  the  same  purpose  : 
so  greatly  did  she  honor  the  mercy-seat,  and  so  firmly 
did  she  trust  in  the  power  of  prayer. 

At  that  time  there  were  many  spiritual  wastes  m 
the  county  of  Sussex,  and  Lady  Huntington  was  on 
the  alert  to  cast  in  the  good  seed  wherever  an  oppor- 
tunity offered,  or  if  possible  to  make  opportunities  in 
a  cause  so  pressing  and  momentous.  While  making 
inquiries  for  securing  a  preaching  spot  at  Oathall, 
ten  miles  from  Brighton,  an  old  gentleman  unexpect- 
edly came  and  offered  to  lease  her  for  a  certain  num- 
ber of  years  the  mansion  of  Oathall,  a  house  on  an 
estate  belonging  to  one  branch  of  the  Shirley  family. 
His  terms  were  promptly  and  thankfully  accepted, 
and  workmen  were  immediately  engaged  to  fit  up  a 
large  room  for  divine  worship,  and  prepare  the  remain- 
der of  the  house  for  the  accommodation  of  herself 
and  her  chaplains.  Here  the  gospel  was  faithfully 
preached,  and  with  marked  effect.  During  the  sum- 
mer, a  regiment,  of  soldiers  was  quartered  in  the 


120 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


vicinity.  The  captain,  a  gay  officer,  went  out  one 
day  on  a  sporting  frolic,  and  was  forced  by  a  violent 
shower  to  seek  shelter  under  a  shed  with  a  farmer  and 
his  laborers,  with  whom  he  soon  entered  into  conver- 
sation ;  the  farmer  was  a  Christian  man,  and  the 
talk  took  a  religious  turn.  His  remarks  surprised 
and  interested  the  officer,  and  he  asked  where  so  much 
had  been  learned  about  divine  things. 

"  In  that  hall  yonder,"  answered  the  farmer, 
"  where  there  is  a  famous  man,  a  Mr.  Romaine, 
preaching  for  Lady  Huntington ;  you  would  do  well 
to  go  and  hear  him  for  yourself." 

Captain  Scott,  moved  by  all  the  circumstances, 
determined  to  do  so,  and  on  the  following  Sabbath  i 
bent  his  steps  thitherward.  On  entering  the  hall, 
the  devout  and  serious  air  of  the  congregation  forcibly 
impressed  his  mind ;  while  Mr.  Romaine's  remarks 
from  the  words  of  the  Saviour,  "  I  am  the  way," 
were  as  goads  and  as  nails  fastened  by  the  Master  of 
assemblies  upon  his  conscience.  Though  a  man  of 
pleasure,  there  had  been  times  when  a  profound  seri- 
ousness came  over  him,  compelling  him  to  pause  and 
ask,  "Whither  am  I  tending?"  Nor  had  these  sea- 
sons escaped  the  notice  and  ridicule  of  his  companions. 
He  was  now  in  the  presence  of  one  who  seemed  to 
him  to  speak  as  man  never  before  spoke,  and  they 
were  truths  just  suited  to  his  case.  He  afterwards 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Romaine  in  London, 
whose  prayers  and  instructions  confirmed  him  in  his 
resolutions  to  seek  with  all  diligence  to  make  his  call- 
ing and  election  sure ;  and  as  he  had  proved  himself 


CHAPELS. 


a  brave  officer  on  the  plains  of  Minden,  so  did  he 
become  valiant  in  a  better  service,  even  a  heavenly. 

When  Captain  Scott  was  on  his  way  to  Shrop- 
shire, Romaine  gave  him  a  letter  for  Mr.  Powys  of 
Berwick,  a  gentleman  of  high  connections  and  largo 
fortune,  and  very  zealous  for  the  cause  of  Crod  and 
truth.  Venn  was  at  that  time  paying  him  a  visit. 
One  morning  after  prayers,  as  they  were  looking  from 
the  hall  window,  Captain  Scott  rode  into  the  lawn 
mounted  on  his  military  charger  and  dressed  in  his 
uniform,  bringing  the  letter  entrusted  to  his  care. 
Mr.  Powys  recognized  him  in  the  distance  and  ex- 
claimed, "  There  is  Captain  Scott.  What  can  he 
want  ?  How  can  I  avoid  seeing  him  ?"  for  how 
great  an  interruption  would  a  gay  officer  be,  with  a 
guest  like  Verm  of  Huddersfield  !  The  gentlemen 
withdrew.  Scott  rode  up  to  the  door,  and  was  receiv- 
ed with  distant  politeness  by  Mr.  Powys.  On  reading 
Romaine's  letter,  giving  an  account  of  the  captain's 
conversion,  Powys  became  much  agitated  ;  he  ran  to 
the  officer,  warmly  embraced  him,  and  cried  out, 
"  Mr.  Venn,  Mr.  Venn,  Mrs.  Powys,  come  quickly. 
Here  is  Captain  Scott,  a  convert  to  Christ ;  a  new 
creature  in  Christ  Jesus  !"  How  great  was  their  joy 
over  him  who  had  been  lost,  and  was  found ;  dead,  and 
now  made  alive. 

Let  us  hear  of  him  again.  "  I  went  last  Mon- 
day," said  Fletcher,  "to  meet  Captain  Scott,  one  of 
the  fruits  that  have  grown  for  the  Lord  at  Oathall — 
a  captain  of  the  truth — a  bold  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 
God  hath  thrown  down  before  him  the  middle  wall 

Huntington  6 


122 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


of  bigotry,  and  he  boldly  launches  into  an  irregular 
usefulness.  For  some  months  he  has  exhorted  his 
dragoons  daily ;  for  some  weeks  he  has  preached  pub- 
licly at  the  Methodist  meeting-house  at  Leicester,  in 
bis  regimentals,  to  numerous  congregations.  The 
stiff  ones  pursue  him  with  hue  and  cry,  but  I  believe 
he  is  quite  beyond  their  reach.  Grod  keep  him  zeal- 
ous and  simple.  I  believe  this  red  coat  will  shame 
many  a  black  one.    I  am  sure  he  shames  me." 

Yvrhitefield  invited  him  to  come  to  London  and 
"bring  his  artillery  to  Tabernacle-rampart." 

Captain  Scott  was  an  accomplished  man,  of  an 
ancient  and  respectable  family,  with  flattering  pros- 
pects of  worldly  advancement ;  but  worldly  honors 
now  ceased  to  charm  him :  he  quitted  the  army  for 
the  ministry,  and  for  twenty  years  was  one  of  the 
supplies  at  the  Tabernacle,  and  his  new  labors  were 
crowned  with  abundant  success. 

Another  of  the  first-fruits  of  Oath  all  was  an  old 
man  of  a  hundred  years.  He  had  long  been  serious, 
and  had  often  complained  that  church- pre  aching  was 
not  like  church-prayers ;  and  though  no  friend  to  "  new 
measures,"  old  Abraham  determined  one  day  to  go  and 
hear  for  himself  what  kind  of  stuff  they  had  at  the 
chapel.  He  listened  with  the  profoundest  attention 
and  delight  while  Mr.  Yenn  discoursed  of  the  love  of 
Christ,  and  could  hardly  contain  himself  for  joy. 
"Ah,  neighbor,"  he  exclaimed,  as  soon  as  the  services 
were  over,  tapping  the  shoulder  of  one  who  sat  next 
to  him,  "  this  is  the  very  truth  of  G-od's  word,  which 
T  have  been  for  ever  seeking,  and  never  found  before. 


EERRIDGE. 


123 


Here  will  I  tarry."  And  from  that  morning  a  new 
life  was  beating  in  the  old  man's  bosom. 

On  one  occasion  when  Brighton  and  Oathall 
were  destitute  of  a  supply,  Lady  Huntington  sent  for 
a  distinguished  revival  preacher  to  spend  a  few  weeks 
in  these  fields.  In  reply,  he  says,  "I  am  determined 
not  to  quit  my  charge  again  in  a  hurry.  Never  do  I 
leave  my  bees,  though  for  a  short  space  only,  but  on 
my  return  I  find  them  either  casting  or  colting,  or 
fighting  and  robbing  each  other ;  not  gathering  honey 
from  every  flower  of  God's  garden,  but  filling  the  air 
with  their  buzzings,  and  darting  out  the  venom  of 
their  little  hearts  in  their  fiery  stings.  Nay,  so  in- 
flamed they  often  are,  and  a  mighty  little  thing  dis- 
turbs them,  that  three  months'  tinkling  afterwards 
with  a  warmingpan  will  scarce  hive  them  at  last,  and 
make  them  settle  to  work  again." 

This  quaint  mixture  of  wit,  sense,  and  bluntness 
came  from  Rev.  John  Berridge,  who  is  now  intro- 
duced to  our  readers.  His  tall,  stalwart  figure  looks 
as  if  it  was  made  to  wear  ;  his  deliberate  and  distinct 
speech  seems  fit  only  for  weighty  words  ;  but  beneath 
the  grave,  nay,  the  solemn  expression  of  his  face  there- 
is  lurking  a  quiet  humor,  which  gives  a  genial  warmth 
to  his  affections,  and  a  gladsome  play  to  his  spirits, 
rarely  found  in  the  lonely  life  of  a  bachelor :  yet  it 
were  a  strange  misnomer  to  call  Berridge's  life  a 
lonely  one,  for  it  was  as  stirring  as  a  hundred  miles 
riding,  with  ten  or  twelve  sermons  a  week,  could 
make  it,  and  that  for  a  period  of  nearly  five  and 
twenty  years.    At  home  his  table  was  ever  ready  for 


124 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


his  hearers,  many  of  whom  came  from  a  distance — 
his  stables  open  to  their  horses ;  while  houses  and 
barns  in  every  direction  were  rented  and  taken  care 
of  for  the  lay-preachers  employed  at  his  expense  on 
errands  of  gospel  love. 

Berridge  is  settled  at  Everton,  in  Bedfordshire, 
about  thirty  miles  north-west  of  London.  In  1757, 
two  years  after  his  removal  thither,  he  began  to  be 
in  doubt  and  anxiety  concerning  his  soul;  for  like 
many  others  he  had  entered  upon  the  work  of  the 
ministry  a  stranger  to  that  love  which  works  by  faith 
and  purifies  the  heart.  He  beheld  his  own  vineyard 
parched  and  dry,  unvisited  by  those  showers  of  mercy 
which  enriched  the  labors  of  a  more  spiritual  hus- 
bandry. 

"  Lord,  direct  me,"  was  his  importunate  cry ; 
"  show  me  thy  way,  and  lead  me  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  The  Holy  Spirit  visited 
his  soul ;  a  clearer  light  dawned  upon  his  mind,  and 
salvation  by  Christ  became  the  corner-stone  of  his 
own  hopes,  and  the  refuge  to  which  he  bade  all  men 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  The  fruits  of  his  new 
ministry  he  thus  describes  : 

"  Soon  after  I  began  to  preach  the  gospel  at  Ever- 
ton, the  churches  in  the  neighborhood  were  deserted, 
and  mine  so  overcrowded,  that  the  squire,  '  who  did 
not  like  strangers,'  he  said,  '  and  hated  to  be  incom- 
moded,' joined  with  the  offended  parsons,  and  lodg- 
ing a  complaint  against  me.  I  was  summoned  before 
the  bishop. 

"Well,  Berridge,"  said  the  bishop,  "did  I  insti- 


BERRIDGE. 


125 


tute  you  to  Eaton,  or  Potten  ?  why  do  you  go  preach- 
ing out  of  your  parish  V 

"'My  lord,'  says  I,  '  I  make  no  claim  to  the 
living  of  those  parishes ;  'tis  true  I  was  once  at  Ea- 
ton, and  finding  a  few  poor  people  assembled,  I  ad- 
monished them  to  repent  of  their  sins,  and  to  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  their 
souls.  At  that  very  moment,  my  lord,  there  were 
five  or  six  clergymen  out  of  their  own  parishes,  and 
enjoying  themselves  on  the  Eaton  bowling-green.' 

"  1  I  tell  you,'  retorted  his  lordship,  '  that  if  you 
continue  preaching  where  you  have  no  right,  you  will 
be  very  likely  sent  to  Huntington  jail.' 

" i  I  have  no  more  regard  for  a  jail  than  other 
folks,'  rejoined  I,  '  but  I  had  rather  go  there  with  a 
good  conscience  than  to  be  at  liberty  without  one.' 

"His  lordship  looked  very  hard  at  me.  '  Poor 
fellow,'  he  said,  6  you  are  beside  yourself,  and  in  a 
few  months  you  will  be  either  better  or  worse.' 

"  '  Then,  my  lord,'  said  I,  '  you  may  make  yourself 
quite  happy  in  this  business  ;  for  if  I  should  be  better, 
you  suppose  I  shall  desist  of  my  own  accord,  and  if 
worse,  you  need  not  send  me  to  Huntington  jail,  for 
I  shall  be  better  accommodated  in  Bedlam.' 

"  His  lordship  then  pathetically  entreated  me,  as 
one  who  had  been  and  wished  to  continue  my  friend, 
not  to  imbitter  the  remaining  portion  of  his  days  by 
any  squabbles  with  my  brother  clergymen,  but  to  go 
home  to  my  parish ;  and  so  long  as  I  kept  within  it,  I 
should  be  at  liberty  to  do  what  I  liked  there.  '  As 
to  your  conscience,'  he  said,  '  you  know  that  preach- 


126 


LADY  HUNTING-ION. 


ing  out  of  your  parish  is  contrary  to  the  canons  of  the 
church.' 

u  1  There  is  one  canon,  my  lord,'  said  I,  'which  I 
dare  not  disobey,  and  that  says,  '  Gro  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature.' '  " 

Although  powerful  patrons  were  displeased  with 
Berridge's' career,  friends  equally  powerful  were  raised 
up  for  his  defence,  so  that  Everton  and  the  region 
round  about  ever  continued  to  enjoy  the  unstinted 
benefactions  both  of  his  heart  and  purse. 

Berridge  was  forty  in  the  year  from  which  he 
dates  his  "new  birth,"  1757.  A  few  months  after- 
wards he  met  Wesley,  and  a  little  later  Whitefield, 
against  both  of  whom  he  had  been  strongly  prejudiced. 
He  now  welcomed  them  as  beloved  brethren  in  the 
Lord.  Lady  Huntington  soon  made  his  acquaint- 
ance ;  a  warm  friendship  sprung  up  between  the  two. 
Indeed,  the  richness  and  originality  of  his  mind  made 
him  an  especial  favorite ;  while  his  sturdy  sticking  to 
his  own  notions  of  duty  never  gave  offence  to  those  who 
understood  the  depth  and  singleness  of  his  piety. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA. 


127 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA. 

In  the  panoramic  scene  now  moving  before  us,  we 
see  Lady.  Huntington,  in  the  beginning  of  1757,  at 
Bath,  accompanied  by  Lady  Fanny  Shirley  and  her 
favorite  daughter,  Selina  Hastings.  On  the  fourth  of 
January,  she  went  to  Bristol  to  meet  Mr.  Wesley, 
who  returned  with  her  to  Bath,  and  preached  several 
times  to  the  nobility  at  her  house.  Early  in  February 
she  returns  to  London ;  and  on  a  day  of  public  fast- 
ing and  prayer  goes  to  the  Tabernacle  to  hear  Mr. 
Whitefield,  who  addressed  an  immense  audience  from 
the  solemn  words,  "  Rend  your  hearts,  and  not  your 
garments."  In  the  evening  she  is  at  the  Foundry, 
listening  to  "Wesley,  who  preached  to  an  overflowing 
multitude. 

We  now  are  present  at  the  Lord's  supper,  adminis- 
tered on  a  Tuesday  at  her  own  house,  by  Whitefield, 
assisted  by  Romaine  and  Madan.  Of  Whitefield's 
solemn  address,  she  says,  "All  were  touched  to  the 
heart,  and  dissolved  in  tears.  My  inmost  soul  felt 
penetrated  by  the  height  and  depth  of  that  love  which 
passes  knowledge,  and  I  was  ready  to  say  with  Peter, 
'  It  is  good  to  be  here.'  Lord,  teach  me  how  to  im- 
prove to  the  utmost  these  gracious  visitations." 

Who  the  "all"  were  is  not  known,  but  amonsr 
the  communicants  were  the  Countess  of  Chesterfield, 
Lady  Gertrude  Hotham,  Earl  and  Countess  of  Dart- 


128 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


mouth,  Mr.  Thornton,  Venn,  Fletcher,  and  other  less 
familiar  names. 

This  service  concluded,  Earl  Chesterfield,  with  a 
few  others,  entered,  when  AVhitefield  preached  from 
the  passage,  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in 
no  wise  cast  out." 

"  The  Lord  was  eminently  present,"  she  says; 
"  the  word  seemed  clothed  with  an  irresistible  energy, 
and  drew  sighs  from  every  heart,  and  tears  from 
every  eye.  Mr.  Fletcher  concluded  with  a  prayer, 
every  syllable  of  which  seemed  uttered  under  the  im- 
mediate teachings  of  the  Spirit ;  and  he  has  told  me 
since,  that  he  never  had  more  intimate  communion 
with  God,  or  enjoyed  so  much  of  his  immediate  pres- 
ence, as  on  that  occasion.  Ah,  how  poor  and  tri- 
fling does  all  created  good  appear,  when  thus  highly 
favored  of  Grod.  He  in  mercy  keeps  me  sensible  of 
my  weakness  and  dependence  upon  himself,  for  which 
I  praise  him.  He  has  strengthened  my  body  to  under- 
go more  fatigue  than  usual,  without  being  hurt  by  it, 
Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his 
benefits." 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  this  year  that  cries  and 
convulsions,  which  attended  the  early  preaching  of 
Wesley,  appeared  among  the  hearers  of  Berridge. 
Lady  Huntington  begged  Mr.  Romaine  to  visit  Ever- 
ton,  and  witness  the  phenomenon.  He  was  warmly 
welcomed  by  the  vicar  and  Mr.  Hicks  of  Westling- 
worth,  whose  preaching  produced  similar  effects. 
After  conversing  with  those  who  had  fallen  into  con- 
vulsions, and  accompanying  the  preachers  on  their 


THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA. 


129 


rounds,  he  felt  persuaded  that  the  work  was  the  re- 
ligion of  (xod,  though  occasionally  mingled  with  the 
wildness  of  enthusiasm.  Wesley  also  went  to  Ever- 
ton  for  this  purpose.  "  I  have  often  observed,"  he 
tells  us,  "  more  or  less  of  these  outward  symptoms  to 
attend  the  beginning  of  a  general  work  of  Grod.  So 
it  was  in  New  England,  Scotland,  Holland,  Ireland, 
and  many  parts  of  England;  but  after  a  time  they 
gradually  decreased,  and  the  work  goes  on  more 
quietly  and  silently."  Ralph  Erskine  treats  the  sub- 
ject with  less  indulgence. 

"Wesley  thus  pleasantly  discourses  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington. 

"  The  agreeable  hour  which  I  spent  with  your 
ladyship  the  last  week,  recalled  to  my  mind  the 
former  times,  and  gave  me  much  matter  for  thank- 
fulness to  the  Griver  of  every  good  gift.  I  have  found 
great  satisfaction  in  conversing  with  those  instru- 
ments whom  Grod  has  lately  raised  up.  But  still 
there  is,  I  know  not  what,  in  those  whom  we  have 
known  from  the  beginning,  and  who  have  borne  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  which  we  do  not  find  in 
those  who  have  risen  up  since,  though  they  are  up- 
right of  heart.  Perhaps,  too,  those  who  have  lately 
come  into  the  harvest  are  led  to  think  and  speak 
more  largely  of  justification  and  the  other  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  And  it  may  be  proper 
for  them  to  do  so,  yet  ice  find  a  thirst  after  something- 
farther.  "We  want  to  sink  deeper  and  rise  higher  in 
the  knowledge  of  Grod  our  Saviour.  "We  want  all 
helps  for  walking  closely  with  him,  whom  we  have 
6* 


130 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


received,  that  we  may  the  more  speedily  come  to  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ. 

"  Mr.  Berridge  appears  to  be  one  of  the  most 
simple,  as  well  as  most  sensible  men  of  all  whom  it 
pleases  Grod  to  employ  in  reviving  primitive  Chris- 
tianity. They  come  now  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  to 
hear  him,  and  very  few  come  in  vain.  His  word  is 
with  power ;  he  speaks  as  plain  and  homely  as  John 
Nelson,  but  with  all  the  propriety  of  Mr.  Romaine, 
and  the  tenderness  of  Mr.  Hervey. 

"At  Colchester,  likewise,  the  word  has  free 
course.  On  Sunday  I  was  obliged  to  preach  on  St. 
John's-green ;  the  people  stood  on  a  smooth  sloping 
ground,  sheltered  by  the  walls  of  an  old  castle,  and 
behaved  as  men  who  felt  that  Grod  was  there. 

"  I  am  persuaded  your  ladyship  still  remembers  in 
your  prayers  your  willing  servant,  for  Christ's  sake, 

"  JOHN  WESLEY." 

Though  Lady  Huntington  honored  and  admired 
this  noble  reformer,  he  crosses  the  path  of  our  nar- 
rative less  frequently  than  we  could  wish.  He  occa- 
sionally preached  both  at  her  house  and  in  her  chapels, 
but  his  own  field  is  broad,  his  own  work  great,  and 
he  is  laying  deep  the  foundations  of  that  ecclesiastical 
polity  which  has  given  such  expansive  and  conquer- 
ing power  to  the  Methodist  connection. 

Lady  Huntington  was  anxious  to  visit  Everton, 
and  witness  for  herself  the  surprising  effects  produced 
there  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  On  the  morn- 
ing after  the  arrival  of  her  party,  a  large  concourse  of 
people  assembled  at  an  early  hour.    At  seven  o'clock, 


THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA 


131 


Mr.  Berridge  preached  in  a  field  near  the  church, 
when  the  "  power  of  Crod  fell  upon  the  assembled 
multitude  in  a  very  uncommon  manner."  Messrs. 
Venn,  Madan,  and  Fletcher  held  services  other  parts 
of  the  day.  The  coming  of  Lady  Huntington,  and 
the  preaching  of  her  ministers,  was  speedily  noised 
abroad,  so  that  by  the  next  day  ten  thousand  assem- 
bled to  hear  them.  While  Mr.  Venn  was  impressively 
exhorting  from  the  solemn  words  o$  the  prophet,  "  The 
harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are  not 
saved,"  several  individuals,  men  and  women,  "  sunk 
down  and  wept  bitterly ;"  and  in  the  evening,  under 
the  sharp,  energetic  eloquence  of  Berridge,  "  five  per- 
sons, almost  at  once,  sunk  down  as  dead ;"  others  ut- 
tered, with  a  loud  and  bitter  cry,  "  What  must  we  do 
to  be  saved  ?"  In  a  little  time  all  was  silent,  and  the 
preacher  concluded  his  discourse. 

On  Lady  Huntington's  return  to  London,  Berridge 
accompanied  her,  for  she  was  anxious  to  introduce 
him  into  the  religious  circles  of  the  metropolis.  Dur- 
ing his  stay  he  preached  several  times  in  the  city 
churches,  assisted  both  Whitefield  and  Wesley,  ex- 
pounded almost  every  morning  and  evening  at  Park- 
street,  besides  occasional  lectures  at  Lady  Gertrude 
Hotham's,  in  Norfolk-street,  Grrosvenor-square,  and 
Lady  Fanny  Shirley's  in  South  Audley-street. 

Favored  as  Oak  Hall  had  been  by  the  blessing  of 
Grod,  it  was  here  that  Lady  Huntington  was  visited 
by  one  of  her  severest  family  afflictions,  which  was 
the  death  by  fever  of  her  youngest  born,  Lady  Selina 
Hastings,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 


132 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Amiable,  accomplished,  and  devotedly  attached  to 
her  mother,  Lady  Huntington's  cares  were  lightened 
by  her  affection  and  sympathy. 

She  was  one  of  the  six  earl's  daughters  chosen  to 
assist  the  Princess  Augusta  to  bear  the  train  of  Queen 
Charlotte  on  her  coronation  day ;  and  she  was  soon  to 
have  been  married  to  Colonel  George  Hastings,  a 
connection  much  approved  by  her  mother.  And  yet 
these  charms  of  the  present  life  had  not  rendered  her 
unmindful  of  that  life  which  is  to  come. 

"  She  was  my  dearest,"  said  the  weeping  mother, 
"  the  desire  of  my  eyes,  and  the  continual  pleasure  of 
my  heart." 

"  On  her  going  to  bed  the  day  she  was  taken  ill." 
continues  she,  from  whose  lips  we  will  learn  of  the 
last  sad  scenes,  "  she  said  she  should  never  rise  from 
it  more.  She  said  she  did  not  begin  to  think  about 
death  then,  and  that  she  had  no  desire  to  live ;  1  There- 
fore, my  dear  mother,  why  not  now  ?  The  Lord  can 
make  me  ready  any  moment;  and  if  I  live  longer,  I 
may  not  be  better  prepared.'  She  desired  me  to  pray 
by  her,  and  with  great  earnestness  accompanied  me. 
At  one  time  she  called  me,  and  said,  '  My  dearest 
mother,  come  and  lie  down  by  me,  and  let  my  heart 
be  laid  close  to  yours,  and  then  I  shall  get  rest.'  Dur- 
ing the  last  four  days,  she  often  exclaimed,  1  Jesus, 
teach  me  ;  Jesus,  cleanse  me ;  Jesus,  wash  me.'  The 
Jay  before  her  death,  I  came  to  her,  and  asked  if  she 
knew  me.  '  My  dearest  mother,'  she  answered.  I 
asked  her  if  she  were  happy.  Raising  her  head  from 
the  pillow,  she  whispered,  '  I  am  happy,  very,  very 


THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA.  133 

happy ;'  and  then  put  out  her  lips  to  kiss  me.  She 
gave  directions  to  her  servant,  Catharine  Spooner, 
about  the  disposal  of  some  rings ;  observing,  that  she 
mentioned  it  to  her,  lest  it  should  shock  her  dear 
mother  to  tell  her.  She  often  said,  '  To  he  resigned 
to  (rod's  will  was  all,  and  that  she  had  no  hope  of 
salvation  but  in  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ.'  Blessed 
are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord." 

Letters  of  sympathy  and  consolation  came  in  from 
all  her  friends.  Those  of  Mr.  Berridge  are  worthy  of 
many  readings. 

"  My  Lady — I  received  your  letter  from  Bright- 
helmstone,  and  hope  you  will  soon  learn  to  bless 
your  Redeemer  for  snatching  away  your  daughter 
so  speedily.  Methinks  I  see  great  mercy  in  the  sud- 
deness  of  her  removal ;  and  when  your  bowels  have 
done  yearning  for  her,  you  will  see  it  too.  Oh,  what 
is  she  snatched  from  ?  Why,  truly  from  the  plague 
of  an  evil  heart,  a  wicked  world,  and  a  crafty  devil — 
snatched  from  all  such  bitter  grief  as  now  overwhelms 
you — snatched  from  every  thing  that  might  wound  her 
ear,  afflict  her  eye,  or  pain  her  heart.  And  what  is  she 
snatched  to  ?  To  a  land  of  everlasting  peace,  where 
the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  ever  heard,  where  every  in- 
habitant can  ever  say,  'I  am  no  more  sick :'  no  more 
whim  in  the  head,  no  more  plague  in  the  heart,  but 
all  full  of  love  and  full  of  praise ;  ever  seeing  with 
enraptured  eyes,  ever  blessing  with  adoring  hearts, 
that  dear  Lamb  who  has  washed  them  in  his  blood, 
and  has  now  made  them  kings  and  priests  unto  Grod 
for  ever  and  ever.   Amen.   Oh,  madam,  what  would 


131 


LADY  HUNTING-TON 


you  have  ?  Is  it  not  Letter  to  sing  in  heaven,  '  "Worthy 
is  the  Lamb,  that  was  slain,'  than  to  be  crying  at 
Oathall,  '0  wretched,  woman  that  I  am?'  Is  it 
not  better  for  her  to  go  before,  than  to  stay  after 
you  ?  and  then  to  be  lamenting,  1  Ah,  my  mother !' 
as  you  now  lament,  'Ah,  my  daughter!'  Is  it  not 
better  to  have  your  Selina  taken  to  heaven,  than  to 
have  your  heart  divided  between  Christ  and  Selina  ? 
If  she  was  a  silver  idol  before,  might  she  not  have 
proved  a  golden  one  afterwards?  She  has  gone  to 
pay  a  most  blessed  visit,  and  you  will  see  her  again, 
never  to  part  more.  Had  she  crossed  the  sea,  and 
gone  to  Ireland,  you  could  have  borne  it;  but  now 
she  has  gone  to  heaven,  it  is  almost  intolerable.  Won- 
derful, strange  love  is  this !  Such  behavior  in  others 
would  not  surprise  me,  but  I  could  almost  beat  you 
for  it ;  and  I  am  sure  Selina  would  too,  if  she  was 
called  back  but  for  one  moment  from  heaven  to  gratify 
your  fond  desires.  I  cannot  soothe  you,  and  I  must 
not  flatter  you.  I  am  glad  the  dear  creature  has  gone 
to  heaven  before  you.  Lament  if  you  please,  but 
glory,  glory,  glory  be  to  God,  says, 

"JOHN  BE  BRIDGE." 

In  another  letter,  a  week  later,  he  says,  "  Oh, 
heart,  heart,  what  art  thou?  a  mess  of  fooleries 
and  absurdities ;  the  vainest,  foolishest,  craftiest, 
wickedest  thing  in  nature.  And  yet  the  Lord  Jesus 
asks  me  for  this  heart,  woos  me  for  it,  died  to  win  it ! 
0,  wonderful  love  ;  adorable  condescension  ! 

l-  Take  it,  Lord,  and  let  it  "be 
Ever  closed  to  all  but  thee." 


THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA. 


135 


A  fortnight  later,  he  again  says,  "  Mrs.  Bateman 
has  sent  me  a  mighty  pretty  letter  to  coax  me  into 
Sussex,  and  withal  acquaints  me  your  ladyship  has 
been  ill  of  a  fever,  and  is  now  better.  I  was  glad  to 
hear  of  both.  Nothing  expels  undue  grief  of  mind 
like  bodily  corrections.  Nothing  makes  the  child 
leave  crying  like  the  rod ;  at  least.  I  find  it  so  by 
experience.  However,  I  durst  not  send  such  conso- 
lations to  many  Christians,  because  they  are  not  able 
to  see  the  truth,  or  bear  the  weight  of  it.  I  found  your 
heart  was  sorely  pained,  and  I  pitied  you,  but  I  durst 
not  soothe  you  ;  for  soothing,  though  it  eases  grief  but 
a  moment,  only  makes  Lady  Self  more  burdensome, 
and  occasions  more  tears  in  the  end.  A  little  whipping 
from  your  Father  will  dry  up  your  tears  much  sooner 
than  a  thousand  pretty  lullabies  from  your  brethren. 
I  now  hope  you  will  be  well  soon." 

Venn  tenderly  writes  from  Huddersfield,  "  Among 
the  many  in  these  parts  who  have  a  love  for  your 
ladyship's  name,  and  a  tender  sympathy  with  you  as 
a  member  of  Christ,  I  desire  to  assure  your  ladyship, 
I  do  not  forget  to  offer  up  many  prayers  that  your 
present  very  severe  cross  may  be  sanctified,  and  the 
agonizing  separation  made  supportable  by  larger 
manifestations  of  the  faithfulness  and  marvellous  lov- 
ing-kindness of  God  our  Saviour." 

As  soon  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  leave  his 
charge,  Venn  visited  the  bereaved  mother  at  Brigh- 
ton, and  went  back  from  there  to  London  to  superin- 
tend the  publication  of  his  "  Complete  Duty  of  Man," 
which  was  brought  out  this  year,  1763.    Precious  as 


136 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


his  visit  must  have  been  to  the  mourner,  he  could 
respond,  "  It  was  indeed  a  great  blessing  to  my  soul ;" 
so  unspeakably  enriching  is  that  fellowship  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

Berridge  also  came  to  Oathall  during  the  sum- 
mer, where  his  ministrations  were  cordially  welcomed 
by  the  people  in  all  the  region  round  about.  White- 
field  was  on  his  way  to  the  new  world. 

G-rimshaw  of  Haworth  also  died  in  the  spring  of 
this  year,  of  a  highly  infectious  fever,  which  spread 
extensively  through  his  parish.  From  the  first  attack 
of  the  disease  he  felt  that  it  would  be  fatal,  and  looked 
in  the  face  of  the  king  of  terrors  as  if  it  had  been  the 
face  of  an  angel.  "  Never  had  I  such  a  visit  from 
God  since  I  knew  him,"  said  the  dying  man.  He 
was  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  twenty- 
first  of  his  ministry  at  Haworth. 


BLACKFRIAE.S. 


137 


CHAPTER  X. 

BLACKFRIARS— CHAPEL  AT  BATH— LADY  GLEN- 
ORCHir. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Romaine  lived  in  Walnut- 
tree  Walk,  Lambeth,  where  he  had  a  little  garden, 
which  he  planted  and  took  care  of  himself ;  and  where, 
with  his  annuals  and  biennials,  sprung  up  also  im- 
mortal plants,  for  in  1755  he  married,  and  children 
were  born  to  him.  His  regular  salary  at  this  time 
was  but  eighteen  pounds  a  year,  derived  from  the 
lectureship  of  St.  Dunstan's ;  and  though  the  means 
of  living  flowed  in  from  other  sources,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  be  frugal  in  his  habits,  and  prudent  in  his 
expenditures.  Equally  frugal  of  his  time,  he  often 
received  his  friends  to  an  early  breakfast.  "  I  break- 
fasted one  morning  with  him,"  said  a  young  clergy- 
man, "  and  on  taking  some  bread,  which  I  thought 
very  good,  he  spoke  of  a  certain  physician  who  thought 
London  bread  should  not  be  given  to  sick  people,  on 
account  of  its  too  frequent  adulteration  previous  to 
baking :  he  then  clearly  and  forcibly  touched  on  a 
variety  of  modes  by  which  the  word  of  Crod  was  mixed 
up  with  the  ill-leaven  of  other  ingredients,  so  as  to 
deprive  it  of  its  heaven-imparted  sustenance ;  and  this 
he  did  in  such  easy,  familiar,  and  yet  pointed  terms, 
and  with  such  paternal  benignity  of  look,  that  I  was 
equally  pleased  and  profited  by  the  interview,  and  it 


136 


LADY  HUNTING-TON 


has  certainly  served  to  render  bread  to  me  of  more 
value,  both  as  a  support  and  as  a  sign."  Thus  was 
he  intent  upon  turning  every  occasion  to  some  spir- 
itual account. 

In  1764,  the  living  of  St.  Ann's,  Blackfriars, 
became  vacant,  "  and  it  was  immediately  impressed 
upon  my  mind,  that  the  vacancy  was  to  be  filled  by 
dear  Mr.  Romaine,"  said  Lady  Huntington,  opening 
the  matter  to  the  Lord  Chancellor.  The  right  of 
presentation  was  vested  alternately  in  the  crown  and 
in  the  parishioners ;  it  was  now  subject  to  the  latter. 
The  parishioners  were  sounded  by  his  friends,  and 
although  some  of  them  had  entertained  little  hopes 
of  his  success,  to  their  surprise  there  was  a  general 
interest  in  his  favor.  "But  he  is  too  proud  to  ask 
your  votes,"  it  was  said  by  his  opponents,  "  while  the 
candidate  in  canonicals  comes  hat  in  hand,  bowing 
from  door  to  door."  Mr.  Romaine,  who  was  absent 
in  Yorkshire,  was  speedily  apprized  of  what  his  friends 
had  been  doing  in  his  behalf;  and  at  the  time  appoint- 
ed for  the  candidates  to  preach,  he  was  in  London, 
and  preached  from  the  words,  "We  preach  not  our- 
selves, but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  and  ourselves  your 
servants  for  Jesus'  sake." 

Alluding  to  the  reports  which  had  been  circulat- 
ed in  consequence  of  his  not  having  solicited  their 
votes  in  the  too  common  way,  he  says,  "  Some  have 
insinuated  it  was  from  pride  that  I  would  not  go  about 
the  parish,  from  house  to  house,  canvassing  for  votes ; 
but  truly  it  was  another  motive.  I  could  not  see  how 
this  could  promote  the  glory  of  God.    How  can  it  be 


BLACKFRIARS. 


139 


for  the  honor  of  Jesus,  that  his  ministers,  who  have 
renounced  fame  and  riches  and  ease,  should  be  most 
anxious  and  earnest  in  the  pursuit  of  those  very- 
things  which  they  have  renounced  ?  Surely  this 
would  be  getting  into  a  worldly  spirit,  as  much  as 
the  spirit  of  parliamenteering.  And  as  this  method 
of  canvassing  cannot  be  for  Jesus'  sake,  neither  can 
it  be  for  his  honor :  it  is  far  beneath  our  function ; 
nor  is  it  for  your  profit.  What  good  is  it  to  your 
souls  ?  What  compliment  to  your  understandings  ? 
Js  it  not  depriving  you  of  the  freedom  of  your  choice  ? 
Determined  by  these  motives,  when  my  friends  of 
their  own  accord  put  me  up  as  a  candidate,  to  whom 
I  have  to  this  hour  made  no  application,  directly  or 
indirectly,  I  left  you  to  yourselves.  If  you  choose 
me,  I  desire  to  be  your  servant  for  Jesus'  sake;  and 
if  you  do  not,  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 

This  dignified  stand  won  him  favor  :  at  the  second 
balloting,  Mr.  Romaine  received  a  large  majority  of 
votes  ;  but  the  two  other  candidates  taking  advantage 
of  some  flaw  in  the  manner  of  proceeding,  the  case 
was  carried  into  the  court  of  Chancery.  It  was  some 
time  before  the  matter  was  decided,  and  Romaine 
was  accused  of  being  too  easy  about  the  result. 
"  Blackfriars  church  is  desirable,"  he  replies,  "but 
we  cannot  tell  whether  Jesus  wants  it  or  not:  if 
he  does,  he  will  bring  it  about ;  if  not,  his  will  be 
done." 

While  this  important  matter  was  pending,  we  find 
Lady  Huntington  and  her  chaplains  sowing  and  reap- 
ing at  Lewes,  situated  at  the  edge  of  the  South  Downs, 


140  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

eight  miles  north-east  of  Brighton.  The  town  is  an- 
cient and  of  marked  historical  interest.  In  the  ivy- 
clad  ruins  of  a  castle  and  priory  are  the  memorials 
of  a  feudal  age,  of  monks  and  cowls  ;  here  also  was  a 
battleground  once  red  with  the  conflict  between  royal 
and  baronial  power ;  "the  mise  of  Lewes"  is  known  in 
history  as  one  of  those  agreements  which  armed  men 
entered  upon  only  to  break  at  a  more  convenient  sea- 
son. Lady  Huntington  obtained  one  of  the  regular 
churches  for  Mr.  Romaine ;  his  searching  appeals 
angered  his  brethren,  and  he  was  refused  another 
hearing :  a  large  room  was  then  obtained,  and,  better 
still,  such  was  the  irrepressible  eagerness  with  which 
the  people  flocked  to  hear  him,  he  spoke  in  the  open 
air.  "All  gave  solemn  heed,"  said  Lady  Hunting- 
ton, "while  he  applied  those  solemn  words,  'Behold 
the  Lamb  of  Grod,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world.'  I  did  not  see  one  careless  or  inattentive  per- 
son, and  there  is  reason  to  think  many  poor  sinners 
were  cut  to  the  heart." 

In  the  same  year  also,  1765,  active  measures 
were  taken  to  erect  a  chapel  at  Bath,  the  resort  alike 
of  the  fashionable  and  the  afflicted.  The  summer 
months  found  this  city  thronged  with  people  in  quest 
of  change,  excitement,  society,  or  health,  thoughtless, 
restless,  aimless. 

From  time  to  time,  "VVhitefield  had  proclaimed 
here  the  "good  tidings"  of  redemption.  As  early  as 
1752  he  preached  at  the  house  of  Lady  Huntington 
for  three  weeks  to  large  circles  of  the  gay  world ; 
three  years  afterwards,  Lady  Gertrude  Hotham  threw 


THE  CHAPEL  AT  BATH. 


141 


open  her  doors  for  his  ministrations  ;  the  city  had  been 
also  blessed  in  less  public  ways  with  the  labors  of 
those  who  loved  their  Lord  ;  and  it  seemed  to  be  now 
a  fitting  time  for  the  creation  of  a  place  of  worship 
where  the  awakened  clergy  could  have  a  wider  sphere 
to  work  in. 

In  the  summer  of  1765,  Lady  Huntington  bought 
a  piece  of  land  in  the  vineyards  of  Bath,  and  made 
preparations  for  building.  Meanwhile  Lord  Chester- 
field offered  his  chapel  at  Bretly  Hall,  in  Derbyshire, 
to  be  used  by  her  chaplains  during  their  summer 
tours.  Grladly  did  she  accept  the  offer  ;  and  the  old 
domain,  so  often  echoing  with  the  noise  of  revelry, 
now  resounded  with  the  proclamations  of  the  gospel, 
for  Romaine  is  in  the  pulpit,  and  Whitefield  in  the 
park.  This  was  in  July.  Referring  to  this  period, 
Romaine  says,  "Fifteen  pulpits  were  open  to  me 
here,  and  showers  of  grace  came  down." 

One  of  the  gentlemen  of  Lady  Huntington's  party 
rambled  one  day  among  the  grand  and  beautiful 
scenes  of  the  famous  Derbyshire  peaks.  Weary  with 
his  wanderings,  he  sought  rest  and  refreshment  in  a 
humble  cottage  among  the  heights.  Beginning  a  talk 
with  the  woman,  he  was  surprised  to'  find  her  an 
intelligent  and  warm-hearted  Christian.  He  asked 
if  there  were  many  like-minded,  and  if  the  gospel 
were  often  preached  in  her  neighborhood. 

"Alas,  no,"  she  replied,  "I  have  not  a  creature  of 
the  same  mind  to  converse  with ;  I  am  quite  alone ; 
those  I  see  and  talk  with  know  nothing  of  the  grace 
of  God  in  Christ." 


142 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


"And  pray,  how  came  you  to  know  it?"  asked 
the  gentleman. 

"Why  sir,"  she  answered,  "some  time  ago  there 
was  a  famous  man  down  in  this  country,  called  Mr. 
Romaine ;  he  preached  some  miles  off,  and  many  of 
the  neighbors  went  to  hear  him.  So  I  thought  I  would 
go  too ;  accordingly  away  I  trudged,  and  he  had  no 
sooner  begun  his  discourse,  than  it  all  seemed  directed 
to  me  :  he  opened  the  depravity  of  my  heart,  con- 
vinced my  conscience  of  my  sins,  showed  me  the 
wages  of  death  which  were  due  to  me,  and  the  truth 
of  it  I  felt  in  my  own  soul.  He  then  opened  the  ful- 
ness and  glory  of  Christ,  described  his  sufferings  and 
death,  displayed  the  riches  of  his  grace  to  the  miser- 
able, and  invited  them  to  embrace  it  and  be  blessed. 
Sir,  you  cannot  think  the  instantaneous  and  wonder- 
ful effect  it  had  on  me  ;  I  was  convinced  of  sin,  jus- 
tified by  faith,  and  came  home  rejoicing.  From  that 
day  to  this  I  have  never  lost  the  sweet  savor  of  those 
truths.  How  I  long  to  see  the  gentleman  again.  Do 
you  know  him?  I  think  they  said  he  came  from 
London." 

The  gentleman  and  the  poor  cottager  were  no 
longer  strangers.  They  were  of  the  same  spiritual 
household,  and  beheld  in  each  other  the  likeness  of 
their  Lord.  She  had  probably  heard  the  London 
preacher  on  one  of  his  summer  tours  to  Ashby,  which 
was  not  far  off. 

By  October,  the  chapel  at  Bath  was  finished.  In 
the  latter  part  of  September,  Lady  Huntington  sent 
for  Ptomaine  to  attend  her  at  Bath.    He  is  now  in- 


CHAPEL  AT  BATH. 


143 


Brighton,  and  replies,  "The  society  most  earnestly 
entreat  you,  if  Mr.  Madan  should  come  down  to 
Bath,  that  I  may  be  suffered  to  stay  here  with  them. 
Why  should  Bath  have  all,  and  poor  Brighton  none  ? 
My  very  heart  and  soul  are  at  work  here  now,  inas- 
much as  I  have  not  minded  going  to  Oathall  wet  to 
the  skin,  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  me."  Lady 
Huntington  urged  no  more.  On  the  6th  of  October, 
the  dedication  services  were  performed  by  "Whitefield, 
who  says,  "  Though  a  wet  day,  the  place  was  crowded ; 
and  assuredly  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls 
consecrated  and  made  it  holy  ground  by  his  presence." 

Here  Romaine  spent  many  of  his  vacations ;  and 
though  he  had  not  the  commanding  eloquence  of 
Whitefield,  his  clear  and  pungent  exhibitions  of 
truth,  sharpened  by  a  critical  knowledge  of  the  word 
of  God,  powerfully  affected  the  consciences  of  his 
hearers,  and  constrained  men  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  Here  also  Fletcher  pleaded  with  the  prod- 
igals and  prayerless,  with  that  irresistible  sweetness 
and  seriousness  so  peculiar  to  him.  "  Dear  Mr.  Fletch- 
er's preaching  is  truly  apostolic,"  says  Lady  H  ; 

"the  divine  blessing  accompanies  his  word  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner ;  he  is  ever  at  his  work,  is  amaz- 
ingly followed,  and  singularly  owned  of  God." 

The  chapel  was  not  only  frequented  by  the  true 
hearers  of  God's  word,  but  the  fame  of  its  eloquent 
preachers  attracted  the  most  distinguished  visitors  of 
Bath.  "It  is  certainly  very  neat,  with  its  true  Goth- 
ic windows,"  Horace  Walpole  tells  us,  who  went  there 
to  hear  Wesley;  "I  was  glad  to  see  luxury  creeping 


144 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


in  upon  them  before  persecution.  They  have  boys 
and  girls  with  charming  voices,  who  sing  hymns  in 
parts.  At  the  upper  end  is  a  broad  hautpas  of  four 
steps  advancing  in  the  middle  ;  at  each  end  of  the 
broadest  part  are  two  eagles,  with  red  cushions  for  the 
parson  and  clerk.  Behind  them  rise  three  more  steps, 
in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  third  eagle  for  a  pulpit ; 
scarlet  armchairs  in  all  three.  The  congregation  sit 
on  forms.  Wesley  is  a  clean  elderly  man,  fresh  color- 
ed, his  hair  smoothly  combed,  but  with  a  little  soup- 
con  of  curls 'at  the  ends.  Wondrous  clever,  but  as 
evidently  an  actor  as  Garrick.  There  were  parts  and 
eloquence  in  his  sermon,  but  towards  the  end  he  ex- 
alted his  voice  and  acted  very  vulgar  enthusiasm." 

"Many  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  seeing  me  in 
the  Countess  of  Huntington's  chapel,"  says  Wesley ; 
4 'the  congregation  was  not  only  large,  but  serious, 
and  I  fully  delivered  my  soul." 

Among  the  visitors  of  Bath  this  season,  were  Lord 
and  Lady  Glenorchy  of  Scotland.  They  had  just  re- 
turned from  the  gayeties  and  excitement  of  a  conti- 
nental tour,  when  Lady  Grlenorchy  was  laid  by  from  a 
severe  illness  at  Great  Sugnal,  situated  a  short  dis- 
tance from  Hawkstone,  the  celebrated  seat  of  Sir  Row- 
land Hill.  Lady  Glenorchy 's  intimacy  with  the  Hill 
family  had  led  her  to  some  acquaintance  with  a  spir- 
itual Christianity,  and  impressed  strongly  upon  her 
mind  the  idea  that  there  was  a  higher  and  better  life 
than  that  of  a  heartless  round  of  fashionable  follies. 
On  her  sick-bed  that  life  dawned  upon  her  soul.  She 
found  Jesus  Christ,  the  tried  corner-stone,  elect  and 


LADY  G-LENORCHY. 


145 


precious ;  and  though  gifted,  beautiful,  and  young,  for 
she  was  now  but  twenty-four,  Lady  Gdenorchy  reso- 
lutely turned  her  back  upon  the  gay  world,  and  con- 
secrated herself  to  the  service  of  her  heavenly  Master. 
Her  nearest  friends  were  alarmed  and  angry ;  they 
hastened  to  drive  from  her  mind  this  strange  and 
unwonted  seriousness,  and  her  husband  was  advised 
immediately  to  leave  the  country  for  the  gayer  resorts 
of  Bath  and  London.  They  came  to  Bath  :  at  Bath 
she  met  Lady  Huntington,  and  at  Bath  she  had  a 
precious  opportunity  of  hearing  that  preaching  which 
confirmed  her  faith  and  nourished  her  soul.  She  was 
one  of  the  earliest  attendants  upon  the  ministrations 
of  the  new  chapel. 

"Doubtless  the  world  condemns  your  choice," 
wrote  Miss  Hill,  almost  the  only  pious  friend  whose 
instruction  and  countenance  Lady  Gdenorchy  enjoyed, 
"and  has  been  telling  you,  you  are  sadly  lost  to  your 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  with  an  affected  sort 
of  pity  would  fain  entangle  you  in  its  snares.  1  Re- 
member,' saith  our  blessed  Lord,  'the  word  that  I 
said  unto  you,  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord : 
if  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will  also  persecute 
you ;  if  they  have  kept  my  saying,  they  will  keep 
yours  also.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  ye  should  not  be  offended.'  These  words  of  our 
Lord  are  sufficient  consolation  to  every  believer.  Un- 
der their  influence  let  us,  my  dear  friend,  learn  daily 
that  glorious  lesson,  to  'count  all  things  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord,'  and  think  it  our  highest  honor,  that  as  we  can 

Huntingtou.  / 


146 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


do  so  little  for  Christ,  we  should  be  called  in  some 
way  or  other  to  suffer  for  him,  till  he  gives  us  our 
discharge  and  takes  us  to  share  the  triumphs  of  that 
victorious  faith  which  overcometh  the  world.  May 
this  be  our  happy  lot.  I  rejoice  that  you  had  resolu- 
tion and  fortitude  to  resist  all  places  of  public  amuse- 
ment at  Bath,  and  that  you  were  enabled  to  see  the 
vast  danger  you  were  in  of  being  again  entangled  in 
the  world  ;  whose  delights  you  now  happily  find  to  be 
so  truly  empty  and  so  greatly  disproportionate  to  the 
moral  capacities  of  the  soul,  that  they  are  no  more 
capable  of  yielding  any  solid  contentment  to  an  im- 
mortal mind,  than  the  glow-worm  glistening  in  the 
hedge  is  capable  of  giving  light  to  the  universe.  Let 
us  remember,  that  whatever  we  make  our  chief  delight, 
to  the  neglect  of  Christ  and  his  salvation,  as  it  is 
vanity  in  the  fruition,  so  it  shall  surely  be  bitterness 
in  the  end.  But  if  the  blessed  Jesus  say  to  us,  '  Be 
of  good  cheer,  your  sins  are  forgiven  you,'  and  add  that 
blessed  promise^  'I  will  never  leave  you,  nor  forsake 
you,'  we  cannot  but  be  truly  happy.  Let  me  warn 
you  not  to  give  way  to  unbelieving  doubts  and  fears, 
which  are  highly  dishonorable  to  Grod,  and  most  de- 
structive to  your  own  peace  and  comfort.  Do  trust 
h  im  ;  he  will  certainly  perfect  the  work  he  has  begun. 
"What  if  your  duties  are  imperfect,  your  graces  at 
times  weak,  and  your  comforts  fail ;  is  not  Christ 
still  the  same  ?  Look  upon  him  as  a  full  Saviour,  and 
rest  satisfied  that  he  can  save  to  the  uttermost." 

Lady  Huntington  became  deeply  interested  in 
this  youthful  disciple,  thus  struggling  with  foes  within 


LADY  G-LENORCHY. 


147 


and  temptations  without,  and  we  may  well  suppose 
how  comforting  and  inspiring  both  her  conversation 
and  example  must  have  been  to  the  fainting,  yet 
faithful  heart  of  Lady  Glenorchy. 

On  her  return  to  Edinburgh  in  the  spring,  we 
find  her  not  unmindful  of  the  blessing,  for  she  writes, 
"How  shall  I  express  the  sense  I  have  of  your  good- 
ness, my  dear  madam  ?  It  is  impossible,  in  words. 
When  you  say  your  heart  is  attached  to  me,  I  tremble 
lest  I  prove  an  additional  cross  to  you  in  the  end,  and 
the  pain  I  suffer  in  the  apprehension  of  this  is  un- 
speakable. I  hope  the  Lord  permits  it  as  a  spur  to  me 
to  be  watchful,  and  to  keep  near  to  him,  who  alone  is 
able  to  keep  me  from  falling.  I  can  truly  say,  that  next 
to  the  favor  of  God,  my  utmost  ambition  is  to  be  found 
worthy  of  the  regard  which  your  ladyship  is  pleased  to 
honor  me  with,  and  to  be  one  of  those  who  shall  make 
up  the  crown  of  your  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  our  Lord." 

Soon  after  her  departure,  arrived  Lady  Sutherland, 
sister  of  Lady  Grlenorchy,  accompanied  by  her  hus- 
band, both  of  whom  were  deeply  suffering  from  the 
death  of  their  eldest  born.  They  were  commended  to 
Lady  Huntington's  ever  ready  sympathies.  "Never," 
says  she,  "have  I  seen  a  more  lovely  couple;  they 
may  indeed  with  justice  be  called  the  Flower  of 
Scotland.  The  good  providence  of  God  has,  I  hope, 
directed  them  here  in  order  to  lead  them  to  the  foun- 
tain of  living  waters.  Dear  Lady  Glenorchy  is  ex- 
tremely anxious  on  their  account." 

They  attended  the  preaching  of  Whitefielcl,  who 
was  then  at  Bath  ;  but  only  for  a  little  while,  for  both, 


148 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


within  a  short  time  of  each  other,  died  of  putrid-fever. 
The  mournful  event  spread  a  general  gloom  over  the 
gay  city,  and  for  a  moment  there  seemed  to  he  a  pause 
in  the  whirl  of  pleasure.  Two  sermons  were  preached 
on  the  occasion  in  Lady  Huntington's  chapel,  attended 
hy  almost  all  the  nohility  then  at  Bath. 

During  the  summer,  Whitefield  spent  much  time 
between  Bath  and  Bristol.  "As  my  feverish  heat 
continues,"  he  says,  "  and  the  weather  is  too  wet  to 
travel,  I  have  complied  with  the  advice  of  friends, 
and  commenced  hot- well-water  drinking  twice  a  day. 
However,  twice  this  week,  at  six  in  the  morning,  I 
have  been  enabled  to  call  thirsty  souls  to  come  and 
drink  of  the  water  of  life  freely.  To-morrow  evening, 
God  willing,  the  call  is  to  be  repeated.  Good  seasons 
at  Bath  ;  good  seasons  at  Bristol.  Large  auditories. 
Grace,  grace." 

Whitefield  was  followed  by  Yenn,  who  not  only 
instructed  and  inspired  from  the  pulpit,  but  charmed 
by  the  easy  flow  of  his  conversation  in  the  social 
circle. 

To  return  to  St.  Ann's,  Blackfriars,  and  the  suit 
between  Romaine  and  his  competitors  pending  in 
Chancery.  In  February,  1766,  a  decree  was  issued 
in  his  favor,  to  the  great  joy  of  all  who  knew  him  and 
felt  for  the  cause  of  truth.  AVhile  receiving  the  con- 
gratulations of  his  friends,  he  simply  said  with  pro- 
found seriousness,  "It  is  my  Master's  will,  and  I  sub- 
mit." 

To  Lady  Huntington  he  writes,  "I  had  promised 
myself  a  little  rest  and  retirement  in  the  evening  of 


ROMAINE. 


149 


life,  but  my  fine  plan  is  broken  all  to  pieces.  I  am 
called  into  a  public  station  and  to  the  sharpest  engage- 
ment, just  as  I  had  got  into  winter  quarters — an  en- 
gagement for  life.  I  can  see  nothing  before  me,  so 
long  as  I  live,  but  war,  and  that  with  unreasonable 
men,  a  divided  parish,  an  angry  clergy,  a  wicked 
Sodom,  and  a  wicked  world ;  all  to  be  resisted  and 
overcome.  Besides  all  these,  a  sworn  enemy,  subtle 
and  cruel,  with  whom  I  can  make  no  peace,  no,  not 
a  moment's  truce,  night  and  day,  with  all  his  chil- 
dren and  his  host,  is  aiming  at  my  destruction. 

"When  I  take  counsel  of  the  flesh,  I  begin  to 
faint ;  but  when  I  go  to  the  sanctuary,  I  see  my  cause 
good,  and  my  Master  is  almighty,  a  tried  friend  ; 
and  then  he  makes  my  courage  revive.  Although  I 
am  no  way  fit  for  the  work,  yet  he  called  me  to  it, 
and  on  him  I  depend  for  strength  to  do  it,  and  for 
success  to  crown  it.  I  utterly  despair  of  doing  any 
thing  as  of  myself,  and  therefore  the  more  I  have  to 
do,  I  shall  be  forced  to  live  more  by  faith  upon  him. 
In  this  view,  I  hope  to  get  a  great  income  by  my  /ic- 
ing-; I  shall  want  my  Jesus  more,  and  shall  get  closer 
to  him.  As  he  has  made  my  application  to  him  more 
necessary  and  more  constant,  he  has  given  me  stronger 
tokens  of  his  love.  Methinks  I  can  hear  his  sweet 
voice,  *  Come  closer,  come  closer,  soul ;  nearer  yet :  I 
will  bring  you  into  circumstances  that  you  cannot 
do  one  moment  without  me.'  " 

Romaine  was  now  fifty  years  of  age,  beginning  a 
new  career  of  thirty  years'  labor. 


150 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  INDIAN  PREACHER— DARTMOUTH— LORD 
BUCHAN. 

The  red  men  who  roamed  through  the  dense 
forests  skirting  their  American  colonies,  were  objects 
of  intense  and  curious  interest  to  the  people  of  Eng- 
land. While  stories  of  -wild  adventure  and  romantic 
incident  "lent  enchantment"  to  these  far-off  regions, 
the  darkness  and  degradation  of  savage  life  pressed 
sorrowfully  upon  the  Christian  heart ;  efforts  made 
to  propagate  the  gospel  among  the  tribes  were  cor- 
dially responded  to  by  English  Christians  ;  and  when 
Samson  Occum,  an  Indian  preacher,  visited  those 
eastern  shores  and  stood  before  a  London  audience, 
he  was  welcomed  as  the  first-fruits  of  a  speedy  and 
glorious  harvest. 

Dr.  "Wheelock's  school  for  the  education  of  Indian 
youth,  at  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  excited  a  general 
interest.  It  was  patronized  by  the  chief  men  of  the 
colonies,  and  besides  other  generous  contributions  both 
at  home  and  from  abroad,  Mr.  Joshua  Moor,  a  farmer 
of  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  had  made  it  a  substantial 
gift  of  land,  with  a  building  for  a  school-house ;  in 
memory  of  which,  the  school  was  called  Moor's  Indian 
Charity  school.  Whitefield  took  it  by  the  hand  and 
commended  it  to  the  kind  charities  of  his  English 
friends. 


THE  INDIAN  SCHOOL. 


151 


"My  very  dear  Dr.  Wheelock,"  he  writes  from 
London  in  1760,  "  I  have  just  time  to  write  you,  that 
upon  mentioning  and  a  little  enforcing  your  Indian 
affair,  the  Lord  of  all  lords  put  it  into  the  heart  of 
the  Marquis  of  Lothian  to  put  into  my  hands  fifty 
pounds  sterling ;  you  will  not  fail  to  send  his  lordship 
a  letter  of  thanks  and  some  account  of  the  school. 
Now  the  great  God  has  given  us  Canada,  what  will 
become  of  us,  if  we  do  not  improve  it  to  his  glory  and 
the  conversion  of  the  poor  heathen  ?  Satan  is  doing 
what  he  can  here  to  bring  the  work  into  contempt, 
by  blasphemy  and  ridicule  from  both  theatres.  But 
you  know  how  the  bush  burned  and  was  not  con- 
sumed ;  and  why  ?  Je.sus  was,  and  is  in  it ;  Hallelu- 
jah.   My  hearty  love  to  the  Indian  lambs." 

A  hundred  pounds  came  also  from  an  unknown 
lady ;  who  she  was,  with  Dr.  "Wheelock,  we  may  be 
permitted  to  conjecture.  The  doctor  thus  replies  to  a 
friendly  and  encouraging  letter  from  Lady  Hunting- 
ton. "It  animates  and  refreshes  me  much  to  find 
such  fervent  love  to  Christ,  and  earnest  care  for  the 
perishing  souls  of  poor  savages,  breathed  forth  by  a 
lady  of  such  distinction.  My  Indian  school  lives  and 
flourishes  only  by  the  grace  of  Grod.  My  number  of 
late  has  been  twenty-six.  Two  young  English  gentle- 
men belonging  to  it  were  lately  ordained  to  the  sacred 
work,  with  a  view,  as  soon  as  provision  can  be  made 
for  their  support,  to  a  mission  among  the  Six  nations. 
Three  young  Indians  are  appointed  to  be  schoolmas- 
ters among  those  tribes,  and  six  more  to  be  assistants 
for  the  summer,  and  return  here  in  the  fall.  The 


152 


LADY  hunting-ton. 


aforesaid  youth  were  all  appointed  to  their  respective 
services,  not  knowing  we  had  a  penny  in  stock  to 
support  them,  till  a  few  days  ago  we  were  informed 
by  Mr.  Whitefield's  letter  of  a  hundred  pounds  ster- 
ling from  a  lady  unknown,  devoted  to  the  service  of 
this  Indian  design.  My  soul  blesses  the  benefactress, 
and  the  blessing  of  many  ready  to  perish,  I  trust,  will 
come  upon  her.  And  then  we,  who  can  only  con- 
jecture by  whom  the  favor  is  conferred,  shall,  by  the 
account  itself,  and  by  the  crown  of  glory  given  as  the 
reward  of  it,  be  fully  assured  of  the  hand  by  whom  it 
was  done,  where  there  shall  be  neither  a  possibility 
or  occasion  to  conceal  her  liberality  any  more." 

The  expenses  of  the  school  still  outrunning  its 
ordinary  supplies,  Dr.  Wheelock,  with  the  advice  of 
his  friends,  concluded  to  send  Samson  Occum,  one  of 
the  most  promising  of  his  graduates,  and  then  preacher 
among  the  Narragansetts,  in  company  with  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel Whitaker  of  Norwich,  to  solicit  benefactions 
in  England.  They  arrived  in  England  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1767. 

Having  brought  letters  of  introduction  to  Lady 
Huntington,  and  already  enjoying  the  personal  friend- 
ship of  Whitefield,  who  was  then  in  his  native  land, 
they  were  speedily  introduced  into  the  religious  circles 
of  the  metropolis.  Occum  excited  universal  attention. 
He  preached  to  large  audiences  both  at  the  Taber- 
nacle and  Tottingham  chapel ;  and  in  his  journey 
through  England  and  Scotland,  was  warmly  welcomed 
by  Christians  of  every  name. 

"  May  God  mercifully  preserve  him  from  the  snares 


DARTMOUTH. 


153 


of  the  devil,"  ejaculated  his  old  instructor  on  hearing 
of  his  flattering  reception  in  the  old  world. 

As  the  fruit  of  missionary  enterprise,  and  a  speci- 
men of  well-directed  efforts  to  christianize  the  savages, 
the  presence  of  Occum  not  only  encouraged  Christian' 
benevolence,  but  shafned  the  lukewarm  and  silenced 
the  heartless  ridicule  of  opposers.  Whitefield,  Wesley, 
Romaine,  and  Yenn,  all  advocated  the  school,  and 
money  flowed  generously  in.  A  board  of  trustees 
was  organized  in  London  to  receive  contributions  and 
disburse  them  to  Dr.  Wheelock,  according  to  his  needs. 
The  Earl  of  Dartmouth  was  chosen  president  of  this 
board,  among  whom  we  find  the  well-known  names 
of  Charles  Hotham  and  John  Thornton.  Seven  thou- 
sand pounds  were  collected  in  England,  and  between 
two  and  three  thousand  in  Scotland  ;  and  thus,  through 
the  favor  of  God,  the  interests  of  this  little  school 
found  lodgement  in  the  hearts  of  the  great  and  good. 

As  its  course  of  study  was  limited,  and  its  pupils 
had  to  be  sent  to  distant  colleges  in  order  to  complete 
their  preparations  for  future  usefulness,  it  was  now 
thought  advisable  by  its  friends  in  the  colonies,  to 
enlarge  its  sphere  of  operations  by  removing  it  to  a 
more  eligible  location  and  connecting  a  college  with 
it.  Generous  offers  were  made  by  different  and  dis- 
tant towns,  to  have  it  located  within  their  borders. 
General  Lyman  was  anxious  it  should  come  within 
his  grant  of  government  land  on  the  -Mississippi.  The 
governor  of  Massachusetts  offered  it  a  large  tract  in 
Berkshire  county ;  a  larger  offer  was  made  by  the 

city  of  Albany,  and  a  still  more  generous  one  issued 

7# 


154 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


from  Governor  AVentworth  of  New  Hampshire,  con- 
sisting of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  township 
of  Hanover,  and  a  charter  of  the  township  of  LandafF, 
consisting  of  twenty-four  thousand  acres,  with  his  own 
agency  to  procure  a  royal  charter  for  the  college. 

Dr.  Wheelock  sent  these  different  proposals  to  the 
Earl  of  Dartmouth,  asking  the  advice  of  the  hoard 
of  trustees.  The  offer  of  Governor  Wentworth  was 
accepted,  and  the  little  shoot  was  planted  in  a  granite 
soil. 

It  was  in  August,  1770,  that  Dr.  AVheelock,  then 
in  his  sixty-first  year,  went  forth  from  the  ease  and 
comfort  of  the  older  settlements  to  make  a  new  home 
in  the  yet  unbroken  forests.  The  lofty  pines  were 
levelled,  a  little  clearing  opened  to  the  sunlight,  and 
a  few  rude  cabins  erected,  when  the  doctor's  fam- 
ily and  pupils,  numbering  seventy  persons,  began 
their  toilsome  journey  to  the  north.  The  ladies  lum- 
bered along  in  a  coach  given  him  by  some  London 
friends ;  the  rest,  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  left  the 
travelled  roads  and  plunged  into  the  rude  paths  of 
the  wood ;  the  journey  occupying  as  many  weeks  then, 
as  it  now  does  hours.  The  doctor,  like  a  patriarch  in 
the  desert,  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  :  gathering  his  flock  around  him,  a  hymn 
of  praise  and  the  voice  of  grateful  prayer  broke  upon 
the  deep  solitudes  of  the  wilderness.  His  cheerful 
courage  and  unflinching  faith  inspired  the  most  de- 
sponding; while,  with  the  activity  and  enterprise  of 
youth,  he  laid  out  plans,  selected  sites,  and  shared  all 
the  privations  of  his  fellow- workers. 


DARTMOUTH. 


155 


The  frame  of  a  college  building,  eighty  feet  in 
length  and  two  stories  in  height,  was  soon  raised  and 
partially  covered  ;  a  hall  and  two  or  three  rooms  were 
nearly  finished,  when  the  autumn  storms,  coming  on 
earlier  than  usual,  put  a  step  to  further  progress. 
Many  were  the  hardships  of  this  little  colony  during 
the  first  year  of  its  existence ;  want  of  water,  scanty 
supplies,  coarse  fare,  drifting  snows,  beds  made  of 
boughs,  with  the  nameless,  yet  numerous  discomforts 
of  new  settlers,  made  up  the  stern  discipline  of  this 
long  and  dreary  winter.  Like  Elijah,  who  founded 
a  school  of  the  prophets  in  the  wilderness  of  Jordan, 
the  good  man  fainted  not,  but  trusted  in  Him  who 
is  the  refuge  and  the  fortress  of  his  people.  Though 
the  snow  lay  four  feet  deep,  and  the  sun  was  long  in 
climbing  above  the  topmost  pine — though  the  cold 
northwester  came  like  the  breath  of  icebergs,  there 
were  warm  hearts  and  devout  spirits  and  busy  hands 
in  this  forest  clearing. 

Grod  too  was  there  with  the  tokens  of  his  favor. 
Through  the  reviving  and  converting  influences  of  his 
grace,  Dr.  Wheelock,  in  January,  had  the  unspeak- 
able satisfaction  of  gathering  from  his  flock  a  church 
of  thirty  members,  who  made  a  solemn  dedication  of 
themselves  to  the  service  of  Grod. 

As  a  testimony  of  respect  to  William  Earl  of 
Dartmouth,  one  of  its  earliest  patrons  and  benefactors, 
this  institution  was  named  Dartmouth  College ;  and 
expressive  of  its  birth  and  aim,  its  seal  bears  the  sig- 
nificant motto,  "Vox  clamantis  in  deserto" — "The 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness."  Dartmouth 

I 


156 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


College,  in  the  town  of  Hanover,  New  Hampshire, 
is  the  cherished  and  venerated  alma  mater  of  many 
great  and  good  men,  whose  names  live  in  the  great 
heart  of  the  republic,  and  whose  virtues  are  the  treas- 
ures of  the  church. 

A  portrait  of  its  patron  hangs  in  one  of  the  col- 
lege halls.  We  look  with  admiration  upon  the  hand- 
some features  and  ripened  manhood  of  this  wealthy 
and  accomplished  English  peer,  but  better  and  more 
beautiful  still  is  it  to  think  of  him  as  casting  all  Ins 
honors  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  and  counting  it  his  high- 
est privilege  to  be  known  as  a  follower  of  Christ. 

The  king  and  some  noblemen  were  once  going 
out  upon  an  early  morning  ride.  Waiting  a  few  mo- 
ments for  Lord  Dartmouth,  one  of  the  party  rebuked 
him  for  his  tardiness.  "  I  have  learned  to  wait  upon 
the  King  of  kings  before  I  wait  on  my  earthly  sov- 
ereign," was  his  reply.  May  the  lofty  and  uncompro- 
mising tone  of  his  religious  character  ever  distinguish 
the  institution  which  bears  his  name. 

The  same  year  that  Occum  visited  England,  and 
made  glad  the  heart  of  Lady  Huntington,  she  sor- 
rowed over  the  death  of  a  dear  and  valued  friend,  Mrs. 
Venn,  who  died  at  Huddersfield  in  the  autumn  of 
1767.  To  sound  judgment  and  exalted  piety,  there 
was  added  a  sweetness  and  vivacity  of  manner  which 
rendered  Mrs.  Venn  a  charming  companion.  A  friend- 
ship sprung  up  between  the  two  on  their  first  intro- 
duction, while  the  Venns  lived  at  Clapham,  and  it 
ever  continued  a  source  of  profit  and  pleasure  to  both. 
Mr.  Venn  was  deeply  bereaved  by  the  death  of  his 


LORD  BUCHAN. 


157 


wife ;  it  was  an  "unspeakable  loss"  both  to  himself 
and  his  children,  yet  behold  the  consolations  vouch- 
safed to  the  children  of  G-od  when  afflictions  break  in 
like  a  flood. 

"  Since  the  moment  she  left  me,"  wrote  the  weep- 
ing husband  to  Lady  Huntington,  "  I  can  compare 
my  sense  of  her  being  with  the  Lord  to  nothing  but 
a  vision,  it  is  so  clear,  so  constant,  so  delightful. 
At  the  same  time  the  Lord  gives  me  to  see  his  own 
infinite  beauty,  and  to  feel  more  and  more  his  pre- 
ciousness  as  a  fountain  of  living  waters  to  those  who 
are  bereft  of  .  earthly  joy.  And  well  it  is  I  am  so 
supported.  For  his  own  cause  I  cannot  but  conclude 
the  Lord  does  it,  since  immediately  upon  my  un- 
speakable loss  the  'opposers  cried  out,  '  Oh,  now  you 
will  see  what  will  become  of  his  vauntings  of  the 
power  of  faith,  and  the  name  of  Jesus.'  They  knew 
our  great  happiness,  and  they  said, '  You  will  see  your 
vicar  just  like  any  one  of  us  in  the  same  situation.' 
But  my  G-od  heard  and  answered;  so  that  when  I 
was  mightily  helped  by  him  to  preach  the  very  Sab- 
bath after  her  death,  and  not  many  hours  after  her 
interment,  their  mouths  were  stopped,  and  the  little 
flock  of  Jesus,  who  had  been  praying  for  me  with  all 
fervor  and  affection,  say  they  have  not  had  so  great  a 
blessing  since  I  have  been  among  them." 

The  death  also  of  Lord  Buchan,  a  Scottish  peer, 
with  the  solemn  pomp  which  attended  his  burial, 
made  a  pause  in  the  gayeties  of  Bath,  and  plunged 
into  sorrow  a  family  circle  whom  Lady  Huntington 
dearly  prized.    He  was  brother  to  Lady  Frances 


158  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 

Gardiner,  and  had  long  been  intimately  associated 
with  the  religious  circles  of  Scotland.  In  quest  of 
health,  he  came  with  his  family  to  Bath  just  after 
the  opening  of  the  Bath  chapel ;  here  his  intimacy 
was  renewed  with  Lady  Huntington,  and  his  family 
was  favored  with  frequent  intercourse  with  all  the 
awakening  preachers  of  the  day. 

Lord  Buchan  found  no  alleviation  of  his  malady; 
his  health  grew  worse,  but  with  the  daily  increasing 
feebleness  of  his  body,  his  soul  was  renewed  day  by 
day.  From  the  means  of  grace,  to  which  he  gave 
diligent  heed,  and  the  conversation  of  many  emi- 
nent Christians,  he  gained  clear  views  of  Bible  truth, 
and  was  enabled  to  lay  hold  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
cross  as  he  had  never  done  before.  »A  few  days  before 
his  death,  he  sent  for  Lady  Huntington  to  visit  him. 
Grasping  her  hand,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  no  founda- 
tion of  hope  whatever,  but  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son 
of  Grod ;  I  have  nowhere  else  to  look,  nothing  else 
to  depend  upon  for  eternal  life  and  salvation,  and  my 
confidence  in  him  is  firm  as  a  rock." 

The  impressive  services  which  took  place  at  his 
funeral  are  so  different  from  any  thing  within  the 
range  of  our  observation  on  this  side  of  the  water, 
that  we  may  perhaps  like  to  hear  Whitefield's  ac- 
count of  them.  "All  hath  been  awful,  and  more 
than  awful,"  he  tells  us.  "  On  Saturday  evening, 
before  the  corpse  was  taken  from  Buchan  house,  a 
word  of  exhortation,  and  a  hymn  sung  in  the  room 
where  the  corpse  lay.  The  young  earl  stood  with  his 
hand  on  the  head  of  the  coffin,  the  countess  dowager 


LORD  BUCHAN. 


159 


on  his  right  hand,  Lady  Anne  and  Lady  Isabella  on 
his  left,  with  other  relatives  on  one  side ;  a  few  friends, 
with  all  the  domestics,  on  the  other.  At  ten,  the 
corpse  was  removed  to  good  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapel, 
where  it  was  deposited  within  a  space  railed,  covered 
with  black  baize  and  the  usual  funeral  concomitants, 
except  the  escutcheons.  On  Sunday  morning  all 
attended  in  mourning  at  early  sacrament.  They 
were  seated  by  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  corpse, 
and,  with  their  head  servants,  received  first,  and  a 
particular  address  was  made  to  them.  Immediately 
after  receiving,  these  verses  were  sung  for  them : 

"  'Our  lives,  our  blood  we  here  present, 
If  for  thy  truths  they  may  be  spent ; 
Fulfil  thy  sovereign  counsel,  Lord  \ 
Thy  will  be  done,  thy  name  adored. 

Give  them  thy  strength,  0  God  of  power; 
And  then,  though  men  and  devils  roar, 
Thy  faithful  witnesses  they  '11  be : 
'T  is  fixed — they  can  do  all  through  thee.' 

Then  they  received  the  blessing,  and  the  noble  mourn- 
ers returned  to  the  good  Lady  Huntington's  house, 
which  was  lent  them  for  the  day.  At  eleven,  public 
services  began.  The  bereaved  relatives  sat  in  order 
within,  and  the  servants  outside  the  rail.  The  chapel 
was  more  than  crowded  ;  near  three  hundred  tickets, 
signed  by  the  present  earl,  were  given  out  to  the 
nobility  and  gentry  to  be  admitted.  All  was  hushed 
and  solemn.  Proper  hymns  were  sung,  and  I  preached 
from  these  words :  '  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  say- 
ing unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in 
the  Lord.'    Deep  and  almost  universal  impressions 


160 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


were  made.  The  like  scene,  and,  if  possible,  more 
solemn,  was  exhibited  in  the  evening.  Ever  since, 
there  hath  been  public  service  and  preaching  twice 
a  day.  This  is  to  be  continued  till  Friday  morning; 
then  all  is  to  be  removed  to  Bristol,  in  order  to  be 
shipped  to  Scotland.  For  five  days  together  we  have 
been  attending  to  the  house  of  mourning.  Many, 
I  trust,  are  obliged  to  say,  <  How  dreadful  is  this 
place.'  Such  a  scene  I  never  expect  to  see  opened 
again  this  side  of  eternity.  Surely  the  death  of  this 
noble  earl  will  prove  the  life  of  many.  He  had  great 
foretastes  of  heaven :  he  cried,  '  Come,  Holy  Ghost.' 
He  came,  and  filled  him  with  great  joy.  i  Happy! 
happy!'  were  his  last  words.  The  survivors  feel  the 
influence  ;  they  sit  round  the  corpse,  attended  by 
their  domestics  and  supporters,  twice  a  day.  Two 
sermons  every  day." 

The  young  earl,  twenty-four  years  of  age  at  his 
father's  death,  joined  himself  to  the  people  of  God, 
and  became  valiant  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
He  soon  after  went  to  London,  where  he  became 
intimate  with  Lord  and  Lady  Dartmouth,  Lady 
Gertrude  Hotham,  Lady  Chesterfield,  Romaine,  and 
Whitefield.  The  latter  says  of  him,  "  He  stands 
here  in  town  against  the  opposition  of  his  old  com- 
panions like  another  Daniel;  he  must  be,  nay,  he 
hath  already  been,  thrown  into  a  den  of  lions ;  but 
he  hath  One  with  him  who  can  stop  the  lion's  mouth." 
Berridge,  Fletcher,  and  Venn  were  appointed  his 
chaplains.  "  Though  I  feel  not  the  least  degree  of 
value  for  any  honor  that  cometh  of  man,"  said  Yenn 


LORD  BUCHAN. 


1G1 


to  Lady  Huntington,  on  receiving  the  appointment, 
"  yet  this  pleases  me  very  much,  because  I  can 
receive  it  in  no  other  light  than  that  ,  of  bearing  a 
public  testimony  that  Jesus,  the  Grod  of  the  Chris- 
tians, is  his  Grod  and  his  all." 

Lady  Anne  Erskine,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the 
house,  a  lady  of  exemplary  piety,  now  made  her 
home  with  Lady  Huntington,  a  daughter  in  her 
affections,  a  partner  in  her  toils,  and  a  well-beloved 
sister  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  funeral  services  of  the  earl,  with  the  faithful 
application  made  of  them  by  the  impressive  oratory  of 
"Whitefield,  produced  a  deep  seriousness  at  Bath,  and 
brought  large  numbers  of  the  nobility  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington's chapel.  On  the  departure  of  "Whitefield,  she 
was  anxious  to  follow  up  the  impression  already 
made  with  the  powerful  preaching  of  Yenn  and  Ber- 
ridge.  She  wrote  in  urgent  terms  to  summon  them 
to  Bath. 

"  My  lady,"  wrote  Berridge  from  Everton,  De- 
cember 26,  1767,  "  I  had  a  letter  from  your  ladyship 
last  Saturday,  and  another  from  Lord  Buchan.  His 
letter  required  an  immediate  answer,  which  I  sent  on 
Monday,  and  then  went  out  a  preaching.  I  am  now 
returned,  and  sit  down  to  answer  yours.  But  what 
must  I  say  ?  Verily  you  are  a  good  piper,  but  I  know 
not  how  to  dance.  I  love  your  scorpion  letters  dearly, 
though  they  rake  the  flesh  off  my  bones,  and  I  be- 
lieve your  eyes  are  better  than  mine,  but  I  cannot 
yet  read  with  your  glasses.  I  do  know  that  I  want 
quickening  every  day,  but  I  do  not  see  that  I  want 


162 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


a  journey  to  Bath.  I  have  "been  whipped  pretty 
severely  for  fighting  out  of  my  own  proper  regiment, 
and  for  ramhling  out  of  the  bounds  of  my  rambles  ; 
and  while  the  smart  of  the  rod  remains  on  my  back 
it  will  weigh  more  with  me  than  a  thousand  argu- 
ments. All  marching  officers  are  not  general  officers, 
and  every  one  should  search  out  the  extent  of  his 
commission.  A  gospel  minister  who  has  a  church 
will  have  a  diocese  annexed  to  it,  and  is  only  an 
overseer  or  bishop  of  that  diocese  ;  and  let  him,  like 
faithful  G-rimshaw,  look  well  to  it.  An  evangelist 
who  has  no  church,  is  a  metropolitan  or  cosmopolitan, 
and  may  ramble  all  the  kingdom,  or  all  the  world 
over ;  and  these  are  more  highly  honored  than  the 
other,  though  they  are  not  always  duly  sensible  of 
the  honor.  They  are  nearest  to  the  apostolic  character 
of  any. 

"  But  whom  do  you  recommend  to  the  care  of  my 
church  ?  Is  it  not  one  Onesimus  who  ran  away  from 
Philemon  ?  If  the  dean  of  Tottenham  could  not  hold 
him  in  with  a  curb,  how  could  the  vicar  of  Everton 
guide  him  with  a  snaffle?  I  do  not  want  a  helper 
merely  to  stand  up  in  my  pulpit,  but  to  ride  round 
my  district.  And  I  fear  my  weekly  circuits  would 
not  suit  a  London  or  a  Bath  divine,  nor  any  tender 
evangelist  that  is  environed  in  prunello.  Long  rides 
and  miry  roads  in  sharp  weather ;  cold  houses  to  sit 
in,  with  very  moderate  fuel,  and  three  or  four  children 
roaring  or  rocking  around  you ;  coarse  food ;  lumpy 
beds  to  lie  in,  and  too  short  for  the  feet ;  stiff  blan- 
kets, like  boards,  for  covering ;  rise  at  five  in  the 


LORD  BUCHAN. 


163 


morning  to  preach ;  at  seven,  breakfast ;  at  eight, 
mount  a  horse,  with  boots  never  cleaned,  and  then 
ride  home  praising  God  for  all  mercies.  Sure  I  must 
stay  till  your  academy  is  finished,  before  I  get  an 
assistant. 

"  But  enough  of  these  matters.  Let  us  now  talk 
of  Jesus,  whom  I  treat  in  my  letters  as  I  deal  with 
him  in  my  heart,  crowd  him  into  a  corner,  when  the 
first  place  and  the  whole  room  belongeth  of  right  to 
himself.  He  has  been  whispering,  of  late,  that  I 
cannot  keep  myself  or  the  flock  committed  to  me ; 
but  has  not  hinted  a  word  as  yet,  that  I  do  wrong  in 
keeping  close  to  my  fold.  And  my  instructions,  you 
know,  must  come  from  the  Lamb,  not  from  the  Lamb's 
wife,  though  she  is  a  tight  woman.  He  has  taught 
me  to  labor  for  him  more  cheerfully,  and  to  loathe 
myself  more  heartily,  than  I  ever  could  before.  I  see 
myself  nothing  and  feel  myself  vile,  and  hide  my 
head,  ashamed  of  all  my  sorry  services.  I  want  his 
fountain  every  day,  his  intercession  every  moment, 
and  would  not  give  a  groat  for  the  broadest  fig-leaves 
or  the  brightest  human  rags  to  cover  me.  A  robe  I 
must  have  of  one  whole  piece,  broad  as  the  law,  spotless 
as  the  light,  and  richer  than  an  angel  ever  wore — the 
robe  of  Jesus.  And  when  the  elder  Brother's  raiment 
is  put  on  me,  good  Isaac  will  receive  and  bless  the 
lying  varlet  Jacob." 


164  LALY  HUNTING-TON . 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TREVECCA. 

At  this  period  there  were  many  pious  students 
both  at  Cambridge  and  Oxford;  and  although,  as  in 
the  college  days  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  opprobrium 
and  opposition  were  still  to  be  encountered,  yet  there 
was  now  at  length  a  larger  circle  of  brave  and  good 
men  throughout  England  to  lend  them  sympathy  and 
assistance.  The  Cambridge  band  was  headed  by 
Rowland  Hill,  who  already  began  to  exhibit  that  fear- 
less zeal  in  the  cause  of  truth,  which  afterwards  ren- 
dered him  so  conspicuous.  In  the  bosom  of  Oxford, 
was  also  a  little  company  in  whose  hearts  glowed  the 
fires  of  devotion,  and  who,  not  content  with  being  sav- 
ed themselves,  went  about  in  the  by-ways  and  ham- 
lets of  the  poor,  striving  if  haply  they  might  be  in- 
strumental in  saving  others.  This  excited  the  jeal- 
ousy of  the  church,  and  the  ridicule  of  their  fellows. 
A  storm  was  gathering,  which,  after  a  few  threaten- 
ing signs,  burst  upon  the  heads  of  six  young  men  of 
St.  Edmund's  Hall. 

"  A  very  odd  affair  has  happened  here,"  says  a 
fellow  of  Baliol.  "  The  principal  of  Edmund  hall 
has  been  indiscreet  enough  to  admit  into  his  hall, 
by  the  recommendation  of  Lady  Huntington,  seven 
London  tradesmen ;  they  have  little  or  no  learning, 
but  have  all  of  them  a  high  opinion  of  themselves,  as 


TREVECCA. 


165 


being  ambassadors  of  '  King  Jesus.'  One  of  them, 
upon  that  title  conferred  by  himself,  has  been  a 
preacher.  Complaint  was  made  to  the  vice-chancel- 
lor, I  believe,  by  the  bishop  of  Oxford  ;  and  he,  in  his 
own  right  as  vice-chancellor,  had  last  week  a  visita- 
tion of  the  hall.  Six  of  the  preaching  tradesmen 
were  found  so  void  of  learning  that  they  were  expel- 
led. He  has  done  well  in  removing  from  hence  some 
'  ambassadors  of  King  Jesus,'  who  were  likely  to  do 
more  harm  than  good." 

The  expulsion  is  thus  announced  in  the  St.  James 
Chronicle:  "  On  Friday,  March  11,  1768,  six  students 
belonging  to  Edmund  hall  were  expelled  the  univer- 
sity, after  a  hearing  of  several  hours  before  the  vice- 
chancellor  and  some  of  the  heads  of  the  houses,  for 
holding  Methodistical  tenets,  and  taking  upon  them 
to  read,  pray,  and  expound  the  Scriptures,  and  sing- 
ing hymns  in  private  houses.  The  principal  of  the 
college  defended  their  doctrines  from  the  thirty-nine 
articles  of  the  established  church,  and  spoke  in  the 
highest  terms  of  the  piety  and  exemplariness  of  their 
lives;  but  his  motion  was  overruled,  and  sentence 
pronounced  against  them.  One  of  the  heads  of  houses 
present  observed,  that  as  these  six  gentlemen  were 
expelled  for  having  too  much  religion,  it  would  be 
very  proper  to  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  some  who 
had  too  little ;  yet  Mr.  Yice- Chancellor  was  heard  to 
tell  the  chief  accuser,  that  the  university  was  much 
obliged  to  him  for  his  good  work." 

"  It  is  a  grievous  thing,"  exclaimed  Lady  Hunting- 
ton, who  looked  on  with  a  deep  and  painful  interest, 


1G6 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


"to  find  men  who  have  solemnly  subscribed  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  acting  with  such  incon- 
sistent cruelty,  tyranny,  and  falsehood  towards  those 
who  consciously  adhere  to  the  tenets  of  our  excellent 
church,  and  endeavor  to  propagate  her  principles." 

This  affair  served  to  quicken  Lady  Huntington  in 
maturing  a  project  which  she  had  long  contemplated, 
of  establishing  a  college  for  the  purpose  of  training 
young  men  for  the  ministry ;  she  had  been  led  to  the 
subject  by  finding  how  difficult  it  was  to  supply  her 
chapels  with  needful  help,  and  especially  how  impos- 
sible it  was  to  enlarge  her  sphere  of  operations,  under 
the  existing  embarrassments. 

After  much  deliberation  and  the  counsel  of  her 
wisest  and  choicest  friends,  the  plan  of  a  college  was 
drawn  up,  into  which  only  such  young  men  should  be 
admitted  as  students,  as  gave  evidence  of  piety  and 
were  resolved  to  devote  themselves  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry ;  they  were  to  remain  three  years  at  the 
institution,  board  and  education  gratuitous,  to  receive 
a  new  suit  of  clothes  once  a  year,  and  on  leaving 
might  enter  the  established  church  or  any  other  Prot- 
estant religious  denomination.  Here  pious  young  men 
could  be  trained  for  the  ministry  unfettered  by  the 
peculiar  restrictions  of  a  university  course,  while  very 
many  might  be  qualified  for  usefulness  who  could 
ill  afford  a  longer  and  more  expensive  pupilage. 

Where  should  the  new  college  be  located  ?  Tre- 
vecca  was  fixed  upon,  in  the  parish  of  Talgarth,  South 
Wales.  Perhaps  not  the  least  of  the  attractions  of 
Trevecca  might  have  been,  that  here  dwelt  Howell 


THE  VE  CCA. 


167 


Harris,  with  no  cooling  of  the  holy  fire,  and  no  abate- 
ment of  the  Welsh  vigor  of  his  soul.  But  the  frame 
which  had  braved  summer  heats  and  winter  colds  in 
his  Master's  service,  had  given  way,  and  Harris  sat 
waiting  in  his  battered  tent  for  the  summons  to  go 
up  higher. 

Mr.  Venn,  in  one  of  his  preaching  tours,  visited 
Trevecca,  "happy  Trevecca,"  as  he  calls  it;  and 
further  adds,  "  Howell  Harris  is  the  father  of  that 
settlement,  and  the  founder.  After  laboring  for  fifteen 
years  more  violently  than  any  of  the  "servants  of  Christ 
in  this  revival,  he  was  so  hurt  in  body  as  to  be  con- 
fined to  his  own  house  for  seven  years.  Upon  the 
beginning  of  this  confinement,  first  one,  and  then 
another,  whom  the  Lord  had  converted  under  his 
word,  to  the  number  of  near  a  hundred,  came  and 
desired  to  live  with  him,  and  they  would  work  and 
get  their  bread.  By  this  means,  near  one  hundred 
and  twenty  men,  women,  and  children,  from  very  dis- 
tant parts  of  Wales,  came  and  fixed  their  tents  at 
Trevecca.  We  were  there  three  days,  and  heard  their 
experience,  which  they  spoke  in  Welsh  to  Mr.  Harris, 
and  he  interpreted  to  us.  Of  all  the  people  I  ever 
saw,  this  society  seems  to  be  the  most  advanced  in 
grace.  My  heart  received  a  blessing  from  them  and 
•  their  pastor,  which  will  abide  with  me." 

Trevecca,  then,  was  to  be  the  seat  of  the  proposed 
college ;  and  for  this  purpose,  Lady  Huntington  took 
Trevecca  House,  a  venerable  structure  dating  back 
as  far  as  1176,  and  had  it  opened  for  religious  and 
literary  instruction,  with  a  chapel  dedicated  to  the 


168 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


worship  of  Grod,  on  the  24th  of  August,  1768.  Mr. 
Whitefield  preached  from  the  words,  "  In  all  places 
where  I  record  my  name,  I  will  come  unto  thee,  and 
bless  thee."  On  the  Sabbath  following,  he  addressed 
a  congregation  of  some  thousands,  assembled  in  the 
court  before  the  house. 

Mr.  Fletcher  of  Madely  was  appointed  president, 
and  shortly  after,  Rev.  John  Benson  head  master  of 
the  institution. 

While  the  project  was  approved  and  encouraged 
by  most  of  Lady  Huntington's  friends,  there  were 
some  who  regarded  it  in  a  less  favorable  light,  among 
whom  was  Mr.  Berridge. 

Lady  Huntington  resided  at  Trevecca  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  and  the  "  influence  of  her  fervent 
piety,"  says  one,  "was  highly  beneficial.  The  spirit 
of  devotion  was  everywhere  apparent ;  when  walk- 
ing in  the  neighboring  vales,  one  might  often  hear 
from  several  parts  of  the  surrounding  woodlands  the 
voice  of  social  prayer,  arising  from  little  bands  of 
students  who  were  pouring  out  their  hearts  before 
God. 

"  Active  exertion  was  united  with  devotional  exer- 
cises ;  horses  were  kept  for  the  purpose  of  conveying 
the  students  to  more  distant  places  on  Saturday  after- 
noons, while  the  nearer  villages  were  visited  on  foot, 
and  thus  the  benefits  of  the  college  were  felt  through- 
out the  surrounding  towns  and  villages,  to  the  dis- 
tance of  twenty  or  thirty  miles.  Frequently  a  student 
was  sent  to  greater  distances  to  preach  in  certain  dis- 
tricts or  rounds,  as  they  were  termed.    On  these 


TREVECCA. 


169 


tours,  chapels,  private  houses,  market-places,  or  fields, 
as  occasion  required,  became  the  scene  of  his  labors ; 
and  by  this  missionary  work  was  the  gospel  introduc- 
ed, and  the  cause  of  Christ  revived  in  very  many 
places,  where  we  now  find  flourishing  churches." 

For  many  years,  the  anniversaries  of  this  college 
were  scenes  of  deep  and  stirring  interest.  Vast 
crowds  collected,  sometimes  numbering  three  thou- 
sand ;  and  on  one  occasion  no  fewer  than  one  thousand 
three  hundred  horses  were  turned  into  a  large  field 
adjoining  the  college,  besides  what  were  stationed  in 
the  neighboring:  villages.  Baskets  of  bread  and  meat 
were  distributed  to  the  people  in  the  court,  while 
ample  feasts  of  the  bread  of  life  were  furnished  by 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  preachers  of  that  day. 
The  college  was  blessed  by  many  tokens  of  the  divine 
favor ;  extensive  revivals  of  religion  followed  the 
labors  both  of  teachers  and  pupils,  until  Mr.  Ber- 
ridge,  moved  by  the  cheering  news  which  ever  and 
anon  reached  the  Everton  parsonage,  was  constrained 
to  acknowledge  the  favorable  change  in  his  feelings, 
and  so  wrote  to  its  patroness. 

"My  Lady — "When  the  frost  broke  up  I  became 
miserable  indeed,  just  able  at  times  to  peep  into  my 
Bible,  but  not  able  to  endure  the  touch  of  a  quill.  I 
am  now  reviving,  but  not  revived,  and  can  venture 
to  take  up  my  pen  ;  you  will  have  its  first  fruits,  such 
as  they  are. 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  of  the  plentiful  effusion  from 
above  on  Talgarth.    Jesus  has  now  baptized  your 

Huntington.  8 


170 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


college,  and  thereby  shown  his  approbation  of  the 
work ;  you  may  therefore  rejoice,  but  rejoice  with 
trembling.  Faithful  laborers  may  be  expected  from 
thence  ;  but  if  it  is  Christ's  college,  a  Judas  will  cer- 
tainly be  found  among  them.  I  believe  the  baptism 
will  prove  a  lasting  one,  but  I  believe  the  sensible 
comfort  will  not  always  last  as  long.  Neither  is  it 
convenient.  In  the  present  state  of  things,  a  winter 
is  as  much  wanted  to  continue  the  earth  fruitful  as  a 
summer.  If  the  grass  were  always  growing,  it  would 
soon  grow  to  nothing:  just  as  flowers  that  blow  much 
and  long,  generally  blow  themselves  to  death.  And 
as  it  is  thus  with  the  ground,  so  it  is  with  the  labor- 
ers too.  Afflictions,  desertions,  and  temptations  are 
as  needful  as  consolations.  Jonah's  whale  will  teach 
a  good  lesson,  as  well  as  Pisgah's  top.  I  see  Jonah 
come  out  of  the  whale  cured  of  his  rebellion ;  I  see 
Moses  go  up  to  the  mount  with  meekness,  but  come 
down  in  a  huff  and  break  the  tables.  Further,  I  see 
three  picked  disciples  attending  their  Master  to  the 
mount,  and  fall  asleep  there. 

"  I  believe  you  must  be  clad  only  in  sackcloth 
while  you  tarry  in  the  wilderness,  and  be  a  right 
mourning  widow  until  the  Bridegroom  fetches  you 
home.  Jesus  has  given  you  a  hand  and  a  heart  to  exe- 
cute great  things  for  his  glory,  therefore  he  will  deal 
you  out  a  suitable  measure  of  afflictions  to  keep  your 
balance  steady.  Did  Paul  labor  more  abundantly 
than  all  his  brethren  ?  He  had  more  abundant  stripes 
than  they  all.  The  Master  will  always  shave  your 
crown  before  he  puts  a  fresh  coronet  upon  your  head, 


TREVECCA. 


171 


and  I  expect  to  hear  of  a  six  months'  illness  when  I 
hear  of  your  building  a  new  chapel. 

"  I  cannot  comfort  you  by  saying  that  I  think 
your  day  is  almost  spent,  and  that  your  afternoon 
shadows  lengthen.  Go  on,  my  dear  lady ;  build  and 
fight  manfully,  and  believe  lustily.  Look  upward 
and  press  forward.  Heaven's  eternal  hills  are  before 
you,  and  Jesus  stands  with  arms  wide  open  to  receive 
you.  One  hour's  sight  and  enjoyment  of  the  Bride- 
groom in  his  place  above,  will  make  you  forget  all 
your  troubles  by  the  way.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  He 
that  shall  come,  will  come,  and  receive  you  with  a 
heavenly  welcome.  Here  we  must  purge  and  bleed, 
for  physic  is  needful,  and  a  tender  Physician  admin- 
isters all.  But  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  cry  out  and 
sing,  *  We  are  no  more  sick ' — 

"  1  Ah,  Lord,  with  tardy  steps  I  creep, 

And  sometimes  sing,  and  sometimes  weep ; 
Yet  strip  me  of  this  trunk  of  clay, 
And  I  will  sing  as  sweet  as  they.' 

"  A  very  heavy  time  have  I  had  for  the  last  three 
weeks — cloudy  days  and  moonless  nights.  Only  a 
little  consolation  fetched  down  now  and  then  by  a 
little  dull  prayer.  At  times  I  am  ready  to  wish  that 
sin  and  the  devil  were  both  dead,  they  make  such  a 
horrible  racket  within  me  and  about  me.  Rather  let 
me  pray,  Lord,  give  me  faith  and  patience ;  teach  me 
to  expect  the  cross  daily,  and  help  me  to  take  it  up 
cheerfully.  Wofully  weary  I  am  of  myself,  but  know 
not  how  to  live  daily  and  feast  upon  Jesus.  A  treas- 
ure he  is  indeed,  but  lies  hid  in  a  field,  and  I  know 


172 


LADY  HUNTING-TON . 


not  how  to  dig  in  the  dark.  May  daily  showers  from 
above  fall  on  you  and  refresh  you,  and  the  dew  of 
heaven  light  upon  your  chapels  and  college. 

"  I  remain  your  affectionate  servant  in  a  loving 
Jesus, 

"JOHN  BERPJDGE." 

Nor  did  Lady  Huntington's  friends  rest  in  empty 
expressions  of  approhation,  for  these  were  often  sup- 
ported by  bank-notes.  We  find  recorded  five  hundred 
pounds,  the  second  gift  from  John  Thornton,  towards 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  institution,  and  a  thou- 
sand pounds  from  some  female  friends  who  loved  the 
Lord.  To  Lady  Grlenorchy,  who  enclosed  four  hun- 
dred pounds,  Lady  Huntington  writes, 

"  I  am  indeed  bound  to  thank  your  ladyship  most 
sincerely  for  your  generous  gift  to  the  college,  which 
has  been  the  offspring  of  many  tears  and  strong  cry- 
ing to  the  great  and  glorious  Head  of  the  church. 
This  is  surely  one  of  the  blessed  effects  of  that  faith 
wrought  in  your  heart  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Grhost.  The  college  is  in  a  most  glorious  state.  The 
unction  of  the  Holy  One  is  continually  descending 
on  its  beloved  inmates,  and  the  love  and  harmony 
that  reigns  among  them  all  it  is  most  delightful  to 
witness.  Fired  with  a  zeal  for  God  and  perishing 
souls,  all  seem  determined  in  their  strength  to  spend 
and  be  spent  in  this  divine  employ.  The  college,  as 
dear  Mr.  Berridge  says,  has  been  baptized  with  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Grhost ;  great  grace  rests  upon 
all  withi  i  its  walls,  and  eminent  success  crowns  their 
labors  in  the  towns  and  villages  around.    To  Grod 


THE  VE  CCA. 


173 


alone  be  all  the  glory.  The  work  is  his,  and  he  will 
carry  it  on  in  his  own  way.  His  smiles  of  approbation 
have  cheered  my  heart  amidst  the  many  cares,  labors, 
and  sorrows  I  have  to  contend  with.  I  thirst  for  an 
entire  devotedness  to  him,  and  his  cause  and  interest 
in  the  world.  0  that  I  had  a  thousand  hearts,  a  thou- 
sand hands ;  all  should  be  employed  for  him,  for  he 
is  worthy.  Sing,  0  my  soul,  Worthy  is  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain." 

In  the  hearts  of  how  many  of  God's  professing 
people  does  this  wish  meet  with  an  earnest  and  hearty 
response  ? 


174 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  NEW  RECRUIT—  TUNBRIDGE  WELLS. 

"  Sir — Mr.  Thomas  Palmer  was  at  my  house  last 
week,  and  desirejl  me  to  call  upon  you  when  I  went 
to  Cambridge.  I  am  now  at  Grrandchester,  a  mile 
from  you,  where  I  preached  last  night  and  this  morn- 
ing, and  where  I  shall  abide  until  three  in  the  after- 
noon ;  will  you  take  a  walk  over  ?  The  weather  is 
frosty,  which  makes  it  pleasant  under  foot.  If  you 
love  Jesus  Christ,  you  will  not  be  surprised  at  this 
freedom  taken  by  a  stranger,  who  seeks  your  ac- 
quaintance only  out  of  love  to  Christ  and  his  people. 

"  I  am,  for  his  sake,  your  affectionate  servant, 

"J.  BERRIDGE." 

This  was  addressed  to  the  leader  of  the  Cambridge 
band  of  pious  youth,  Rowland  Hill,  tidings  of  whose 
fearless  fervor  had  reached  the  vicarage  of  Everton, 
only  a  few  miles  from  Cambridge,  and  rejoiced  the 
heart  of  its  good  old  master.  The  invitation  was 
thankfully  responded  to,  and  Rowland,  a  blooming 
young  man  of  nineteen  years,  set  out  for  G-rand- 
chester  mill,  where  Berridge  tarried  with  the  miller. 
And  thus  these  two  met  to  confer  together  upon  the 
rich  prerogatives  and  cmple  endowments  of  their 
heavenly  inheritance.  Rowland's  family  were  divided 
in  their  views  of  Christian  duty.    His  elder  brother 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


175 


Richard,  and  two  of  his  sisters,  sympathized  with 
the  religious  movements  of  the  day,  and  had  them- 
selves received  &  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus.  For  Rowland  they  had  felt  the  deepest 
solicitude ;  for  not  only  had  he  the  common  tempta- 
tions which  beset  the  path  of  a  rich  man's  son,  but 
he  possessed  a  vivacity  and  wit  which  would  not  fail 
to  fascinate  and  delight  the  gay  circles  of  college 
students. 

As  the  time  of  his  quitting  Hawkstone  for  school 
drew  near,  the  language  of  their  hearts  was,  ""We 
cannot  let  thee  go,  without  a  blessing  from  on  high  :" 
nor  were  their  fidelity  and  earnestness  lost  upon  him  ; 
he  saw  and  felt  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  and 
laid  hold  of  the  Refuge  provided  in  the  gospel.  The 
change  which  passed  over  him  was  a  thorough  and 
permanent  one ;  there  was  no  reserve  in  his  conse- 
cration to  Christ,  and  henceforth  it  became  the  en- 
deavor and  the  delight  of  his  life  to  make  known  to 
others  that  salvation  which  he  had  found  so  precious 
to  his  own  soul.  But  upon  this  turn  in  the  current 
of  his  life,  his  parents  looked  with  a  less  favorable  eye ; 
they  sought  to  arrest  him  in  his  new  course.  Nor 
were  college  tutors  more  lenient,  nor  college  com- 
panions more  merciful.  Rowland  endured  the  cross 
for  his  Master's  sake.  Among  the  students  there  were 
a  few  of  like  faith,  and  these  stood  firm,  willing  to 
endure  reproach  and  contradiction  with  him  for  the 
sake  of  Christ. 

From  the  meeting  at  the  mill  a  delightful  inti- 
macy sprang  up  between  the  old  disciple  and  the  new, 


176  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 

and  every  Sabbath,  while  at  Cambridge,  Rowland 
tried  to  spend  a  portion  of  the  day  at  Everton. 

Although  a  diligent  student,  and  holding  a  high 
rank  in  his  classes,  the  young  man  was  more  than  a 
student :  the  musty  air  of  a  cloistered  life  did  not  suit 
the  buoyant  energies  of  his  spirit ;  he  craved  the 
warmth  and  excitement  of  active  life;  he  could  not 
behold  the  moral  wastes  and  the  famishing  poor 
in  his  daily  walks,  without  longing  to  sow  the  seed 
and  carry  the  bread  of  eternal  life.  And  this  he  did. 
He  pressed  forward,  doing  with  his  might  whatsoever 
his  hand  found  to  do.  A  strong  opposition  was  raised 
against  him.  The  faculty  threatened,  and  his  father 
frowned.  In  the  midst  of  his  troubles  he  ventured  to 
address  Mr.  "Whitefield,  then  at  London,  and  lay  his 
perplexities  before  him. 

"About  thirty-four  years  ago,"  answered  White- 
field,  "  the  master  of  Pembroke  college,  where  I  was 
educated,  took  me  to  task  for  visiting  the  sick  and 
going  to  the  prisons.  In  my  haste  I  said,  '  Sir,  if  it 
displeaseth  you,  I  go  no  more.'  My  heart  smote  me 
immediately.  I  repented,  and  went  again  :  he  heard 
of  it — threatened,  but  for  fear  he  should  be  looked 
upon  as  a  persecutor,  he  let  me  alone.  The  hearts  of 
all  are  in  the  Redeemer's  hands.  I  would  not  have 
you  give  way,  no,  not  for  a  moment ;  the  storm  is  too 
great  to  hold  long  :  visiting  the  sick  and  imprisoned , 
and  instructing  the  ignorant,  are  the  very  vitals  of 
true  and  undefiled  religion.  If  threatened,  or  denied 
a  degree,  or  expelled  for  this,  it  will  be  the  best  de- 
gree you  can  take :  a  glorious  preparation  for,  and 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


177 


a  blessed  presage  of  future  usefulness.  I  have  seen 
the  dreadful  consequences  of  giving  way  and  looking 
back.  How  many,  for  this  wretched  cowardice  and 
fear  of  the  cross,  have  been  turned  into  pillars,  not  of 
useful  but  useless  salt.  Now  is  your  time  to  prove 
the  strength  of  Jesus  yours.  If  opposition  did  not  so 
much  abound,  your  consolations  would  not  so  much 
abound.  Blind  as  he  is,  Satan  sees  some  great  good 
coming  on.  "We  never  prospered  so  much  at  Oxford, 
as  when  we  were  hissed  at  and  reproached  as  we 
walked  along  the  streets.  That  is  a  poor  castle  that 
a  little  stinking  breath  of  Satan's  vassals  can  throw 
down.  Your  house,  I  trust,  is  better  founded.  Is  it 
not  built  upon  a  rock  ?  Is  not  that  rock  the  blessed 
Jesus  ?  The  gates  of  hell,  therefore,  shall  not  be  able 
to  prevail  against  it.  Go  on,  therefore,  my  dear  man, 
go  on.  Old  Berridge,  I  believe,  would  give  you  the 
same  advice.  God  be  praised  that  you  are  helped  to 
bless,  while  others  blaspheme.  God  bless  and  direct 
and  support  you.  Good  Lady  Huntington  is  in  town. 
She  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  are  under  the  cross. 
You  will  not  want  her  prayers,  or  the  poor  prayers  of, 
my  dear  honest  young  friend, 

"  Yours  in  an  all-conquering  Jesus." 

This  letter,  so  much  in  harmony  with  his  own 
feelings,  encouraged  and  animated  the  young  man  to 
engage  with  fresh  ardor  in  his  labors  of  love. 

Not  long  after  this,  in  1768,  while  under  the  dis- 
pleasure of  his  father,  he  came  to  Bath,  on  his  way  to 
Cambridge,  and  paid  a  visit  to  Lady  Huntington, 
who  received  the  young  evangelist  with  open  arms 

8* 


173 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


He  preached  at  her  chapel,  and  expounded  in  her 
house,  with  great  acceptance,  giving  promise  on  e very- 
occasion  of  that  salient  oratory  which  distinguished 
his  riper  years. 

Rowland  Hill  was  now  twenty-three,  and  ready 
to  receive  orders ;  yet  six  bishops  refused  to  ordain 
him,  on  account  of  his  irregular  conduct  at  Cam- 
bridge, and  for  fear  of  still  greater  irregularities  in 
time  to  come. 

This,  with  divers  other  trials,  grieved  and  embar- 
rassed him :  his  father  restricted  his  allowance,  in 
hope  of  breaking  up  his  preaching  tours ;  but  his 
spirit  could  neither  be  curbed  nor  broken.  With  his 
little  Welsh  poney,  the  gift  of  a  friend,  without  purse 
or  scrip,  he  went  forth  on  the  highways  and  by- 
ways, far  and  wide,  proclaiming  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  "  Make  the  best  of  your  time,"  said 
Berridge;  "  while  the  Lord  affords  travelling  health, 
and  strong  lungs,  blow  your  horn  soundly." 

"  I  find  you  have  got  honest  Rowland  down  to 
Bath,"  he  writes  to  Lady  Huntington  once,  while 
entertaining  the  ranger  at  her  house.  "  He  forsakes 
father  and  mother  and  brethren,  and  gives  up  all  for 
Jesus.  The  Lord  hath  owned  him  much  at  Cam- 
bridge and  in  the  north,  and  I  hope  will  own  him 
more  abundantly  in  the  west." 

Lady  Huntington's  house  at  Bath  became  now 
for  a  time  his  head-quarters,  whence  he  went  forth 
through  the  neighboring  towns,  preaching  to  large 
crowds,  receiving  abuse,  or  welcome,  as  the  world 
saw  fit  to  give  him. 


ROWLAND  HILL 


179 


"  I  think  your  chief  work  for  a  season  will  be," 
writes  Berridge  to  him,  "to  break  up  fallow-ground. 
This  suits  the  accent  of  your  voice  at  present.  God 
will  give  you  other  tongues,  when  they  are  wanted ; 
but  he  now  sends  you  out  to  thrash  the  mountains, 
and  a  glorious  thrashing  it  is.  Go  forth,  my  dear 
Rowley,  whenever  you  are  invited,  into  the  devil's 
territories ;  carry  the  Redeemer's  standard  along 
with  you,  and  blow  the  gospel  trumpet  boldly,  fearing 
nothing  but  yourself.  If  you  meet  with  success,  as 
I  trust  you  will,  expect  clamors  and  threats  from  the 
world,  and  a  little  sorrow  now  and  then  from  the 
children.  These  bitter  herbs  make  good  sauce  for  a 
young  recruiting  sergeant,  whose  heart  would  be  lift- 
ed up  with  pride,  if  it  were  not  kept  down  by  these 
pressures.  Make  the  Scriptures  your  only  study,  and 
be  much  in  prayer.  The  apostles  gave  themselves  to 
the  word  of  God,  and  to  prayer.  Do  thou  likewise. 
Labor  to  keep  your  mind  in  a  heavenly  frame  ;  it 
will  make  your  work  pleasant,  and  your  conversation 
savory.  Now  is  your  time  to  work  for  Jesus.  You 
have  health  and  youth  on  your  side,  and  no  church 
or  wife  on  your  back.  The  world  is  all  before  you, 
and  Providence  your  guide  and  guard.  Fear  not. 
Jesus  is  with  you." 

The  encouragement  and  countenance  thus  cor- 
dially proffered  to  the  young  Rowland  by  these  veter- 
ans in  his  Master's  service,  Berridge  and  Whitefield, 
falling  happily  in  with  the  current  of  his  own  tastes 
and  talents,  confirmed  the  sturdy  Catholicism  of  his 
views ;  and  as  they  were  about  departing  from  the 


160 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


field,  they  cast  on  the  young  recruit  the  mantle  of 
their  own  resolute,  yet  tolerant  and  loving:  spirit, 
which  had  made  their  preaching  awful  as  that  of  the 
Hebrew  prophet,  and  winning  as  that  of  the  beloved 
disciple. 

Let  os  now  pass  to  Tunbridge  "Wells,  in  the 
county  of  Kent,  thirty-five  miles  south-east  of  London, 
a  town  much  resorted  to  by  the  sick  for  the  healing 
power  of  its  waters,  and  by  the  fashionable  to  banish 
time  and  ennui  by  the  picturesque  beauties  and  the 
unrestrained  gayeties  which  the  place  afforded. 

The  cloud  of  mercies  which  broke  upon  Brighton 
and  Oathall,  led  Lady  Huntington  to  hope  also 
something  for  so  unpromising  a  field  as  Tunbridge 
Wells  ;  and  she  was  encouraged  in  this  by  Sir  Thom- 
as I'Anson,  a  pious  man,  who  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  who  had  sometimes  opened  his  own  man- 
sion to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  She  went  hither, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Venn  and  Mr.  Madan,  in  1763, 
when  large  meetings  were  held  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  But  spacious  as  was  the  place,  thousands 
were  unable  to  get  in.  To  satisfy  the  eager  interest 
of  the  people,  Lady  Huntington  begged  them  to  take 
the  open  field — a  new  and  extraordinary  spectacle  to 
the  people  of  Tunbridge  "Wells,  and  it  created  no 
small  stir  both  among  townsfolk  and  visitors., 

"  May  the  precious  name  of  Him  who  died  to 
save,  be  made  very  dear  to  many  in  this  place,  and 
may  this  grain  of  mustard-seed  become,  by  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  a  flourishing  tree,  extending  its  branches 
far  and  wide,"  was  the  parting  benediction  of  one  of 


TUNBRIDGE  WELLS 


181 


the  preachers.  And  that  the  grain  began  to  spring 
up,  and  other  of  the  Lord's  husbandmen  came  and 
cared  for  the  shoots,  we  may  fairly  conclude,  for,  five 
years  afterwards,  we  find  Lady  Huntington  taking 
up  a  permanent  residence  on  mount  Ephraim,  one  of 
The  three  little  hills  between  which  the  town  is  situ- 
ated, with  Whitefield  by  her  side.  This  was  in  the 
summer  of  1768. 

During  the  following  winter,  Lady  Huntington 
spent  a  few  months  in  London  at  her  house  in  Port- 
land Row,  Cavendish-square.  Anxiety  and  her  in- 
cessant labors  threw  her  upon  a  sick-bed,  and  confin- 
ed her  for  many  weeks  to  the  house  ;  but  though  it 
suspended  her  personal  activity,  it  did  not  close  her 
doors  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  "Whitefield, 
Wesley,  and  Romaine  are  there,  "holding  forth  the 
word  of  life"  to  as  large  auditories  of  the  nobility 
and  fashion  of  the  metropolis,  as  in  the  earlier  days 
of  their  ministrations.  Wliitefield  was  laboring  under 
severe  bodily  suffering,  yet  his  labors  were  abundant, 
and  in  every  interval  of  ease  he  was  alert  as  a  watch- 
man on  a  beleagured  city.  In  March,  Mr.  Venn  ar- 
rived at  London,  where  he  found  a  warm  welcome 
and  hospitable  entertainment  at  Portland  Row.  He 
was  anxious  to  improve  every  opportunity  of  attend- 
ing upon  this  great  evangelist,  whose  conversation 
and  ministry  were  so  filled  with  an  unction  from  on 
high,  and  whose  failing  health  gave  mournful  pre- 
sage that  the  places  now  so  glad  with  his  presence 
must  soon  know  him  no  more  for  ever.  At  the  last 
meeting  at  Lady  Huntington's  house  for  the  season. 


182 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


we  find  Charles  Wesley  the  preacher,  Romaine  and 
Venn  are  administering  the  Lord's  supper,  and  White- 
field  pouring  out  his  soul  in  the  parting  prayer  with 
unspeakable  solemnity,  as  though  his  feet  had  already 
touched  the  waters  of  Jordan. 

Lady  Huntington  immediately  proceeded  to  Bath 
in  company  with  Mr.  Venn.  Lady  Fanny  Shirley, 
Lady  Gertrude  Hotham,  and  the  Countess  of  Buchan 
now  resided  here,  shedding  a  religious  influence  over 
the  circles  in  which  they  moved,  and  striving  to  com- 
mend the  Christian  profession  not  only  by  well-order- 
ed lives,  but  by  seeking  to  bring  their  friends  to  a 
like  precious  experience. 

The  chapel,  which  had  been  fully  attended  during 
the  winter,  was  now  supplied  for  a  few  Sabbaths  by 
Mr.  Venn.  In  his  correspondence  at  this  time,  among 
other  interesting  things,  he  writes  thus:  "  I  am  favor- 
ed with  the  pleasing  sight,  and  with  the  animating 
example  of  a  soul  inflamed  with  love  to  a  crucified 
God,  that  stumbling-block  to  them  that  perish.  In 
Lady  Huntington  I  see  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude 
in  the  firmament  of  the  church.  Blessed  be  God  for 
free  grace,  that  salvation  is  to  every  one  that  cometh 
to  Christ.  Otherwise,  when  I  compare  my  life  and 
my  spirit  with  hers,  I  could  not  believe  the  same 
heaven  was  to  contain  us.  How  do  works,  the  works 
of  faith  and  love,  speak  and  preach  Jesus  Christ,  in 
that  devoted  servant  of  his.  No  equipage,  no  livery 
servants,  no  house,  all  these  given  up,  that  perishing 
sinners  may  hear  the  life-giving  sound,  and  be  enrich- 
ed with  all  spiritual  blessings.   Her  prayers  are  heard, 


TUNBRIDG-E  WELLS 


183 


her  chapel  is  crowded,  and  many  sinners  among  the 
poor  are  brought  to  the  city  of  refuge.  I  feel,  from 
Lady  Huntington's  example,  an  increasing  desire 
both  for  myself  and  you,  and  all  our  friends,  that  we 
may  be  active  and  eminent  in  the  life  of  grace.  Too 
apt  are  we  to  rest  in  life  received,  and  not  to  be  doing 
every  day  something  for  our  Lord  ;  either  earnestly 
engaged  in  prayer,  speaking  affectionately  to  sinners, 
overcoming  our  selfish  passions,  or  exercising  mercy 
to  our  needy  brethren ;  but  it  is  by  abounding  in 
every  good  work,  that  our  light  shines  before  men, 
and  we  stand  confessed  the  workmanship  of  Grod  in 
Christ. 

"  I  have  enjoyed  in  this  visit  the  edifying  discourse 
and  bright  example  of  many  of  our  dear  Saviour's 
family,  all  of  them  partakers  of  one  life  and  one 
spirit,  yet  each  distinguished  by  its  particular  hue 
and  beauteous  color  more  predominant  than  the  rest. 
In  one,  I  have  been  animated  by  the  ardent  activity  for 
the  glory  of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  In 
another,  I  was  pleased  and  softened  by  conspicuous 
meekness  and  gentleness  of  spirit.  In  a  third,  I  was 
excited  to  love  and  good  works,  by  the  fervent  charity 
and  brotherly  kindness  I  beheld ;  and  in  a  fourth,  I 
was  led  to  abase  myself,  and  confess  the  pride  of  my 
heart,  from  the  humility  and  brokenness  of  spirit  that 
struck  me.  In  the  Head  alone,  all  graces  in  their 
lustre  unite." 

How  lovely  is  Christian  fellowship,  thus  reflecting 
and  multiplying  the  Christian  graces. 

In  April,  Whiteneld  left  London,  and  followed 


184 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Lady  Huntington  to  Bath ;  his  health  becoming 
somewhat  improved,  accompanied  by  the  Countess 
and  Lady  Anne  Erskine,  he  made  a  tour  through 
Bristol,  Chippenham,  Rodborough,  Gloucester,  Chel- 
tenham, and  several  other  towns,  the  scenes  of  early 
and  later  triumphs.  "  Never  were  these  places  so 
endeared  to  me,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Old  friends,  old 
gospel  wine,  and  the  great  Governor  ordering  to  fill 
to  the  brim  !   Oh,  to  grace  what  mighty  debtors  !" 

In  May,  the  three,  with  the  addition  of  Lady 
Buchan  and  Miss  Orton,  proceeded  to  Tunbridge 
Wells,  to  attend  the  dedication  of  the  chapel,  now 
nearly  completed:  At  an  early  hour  on  the  Sabbath 
morning  of  the  services,  great  numbers  assembled  in 
the  court  before  the  countess'  residence,  to  begin  the 
day  with  prayer  and  praise. 

"It  is  impossible,"  exclaimed  the  lady  of  the 
mansion,  "to  express  the  delight  and  satisfaction  I 
felt,  on  being  awoke  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning 
by  the  voice  of  praise  and  thanksgiving;  my  heart 
was  powerfully  affected,  and  never  shall  I  forget  the 
pleasure  I  then  experienced." 

These  tokens  of  interest  and  religious  fervor  must 
have  been  peculiarly  grateful,  for  they  were  blossom- 
ings from  the  little  seed  long  since  sown,  and  fore- 
shadowings  of  a  precious  and  golden  harvest  yet  to 
be  reaped.  At  the  opening  services,  the  prayers  of  the 
established  church  were  read  by  Mr.  De  Courcy,  and 
Mr.  Whiteneld  preached  the  sermon  ;  but  the  chapel 
having  become  crowded  almost  to  suffocation,  the 
sermon  was  delivered  in  the  open  air,  from  a  mound 


TUN BRIDG-E  WELLS. 


185 


in  the  court  before  the  chapel.  It  was  one  of  his  most 
eloquent  and  thrilling  efforts ;  the  lofty  energy  of  his 
tones,  the  utter  forgetfulness  of  himself  in  the  all- 
absorbing  interest  of  his  subject,  the  very  impersona- 
tion of  the  truths  which  he  uttered  as  he  stretched 
forth  his  hand — "  Look  yonder;  what  is  that  I  see  ? 
It  is  my  agonizing  Lord !  Hark,  hark ;  do  not  you 
hear  ?  0  earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord !"  thrilled  the  vast  congregation,  riveting  the 
eye,  piercing  the  conscience,  and  holding  strong  men 
breathless  before  the  resistless  might  of  his  oratory. 

Infirm,  asthmatic,  corpulent,  and  heavy,  White- 
field  has  lost  none  of  his  early  power  ;  the  grace  and 
elasticity  of  both  youth  and  health  have  gone,  field 
preaching  has  lost  the  freshness  and  strangeness  of 
thirty  years  before  ;  his  themes  have  no  new  elements, 
his  mind  no  broader  range,  his  thoughts  no  sharper 
cut  or  richer  mould,  yet  he  is  Whitefield  still,  with 
all  his  outgushing  eloquence,  thronged  by  a  crowd, 
who  hung  with  eager  and  trembling  earnestness 
upon  his  august  and  impassioned  utterances.  The 
unabated  popularity  of  this  wonderful  man  is  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  things  in  his  history ;  when  we 
remember,  too,  that  he  founded  no  sect,  led  off  no  fol- 
lowers, opened  no  new  school  of  Theology,  and  pro- 
tested against  no  system.  He  was  upheld  or  carried 
forward  by  no  partisan  interest  of  any  kind.  It  was 
eminently  a  personal  power  which  he  wielded,  receiv- 
ing neither  force  nor  abatement  from  patronage  or 
party.  What  this  power  precisely  was,  it  is  perhaps 
difficult  to  decide.    Vividness  of  conception,  single- 


186 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


ness  of  aim,  depth,  of  emotion,  a  native  tenderness  of 
spirit,  all  concentrated  upon  one  grand  theme,  and 
that  theme  Christ,  the  crucified  and  risen  Saviour  ; 
and  more  than  all  this,  his  being  a  chosen  instrument 
in  this  spiritual  renewal  of  the  true  church,  set  apart 
by  the  Lord  of  glory — herein  were  the  hidings  of  his 
power. 


THE  BREACH. 


187 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  BREACH. 

The  first  day  of  the  year  1770  Lady  Huntington 
set  apart  for  fasting  and  prayer,  and  for  a  renewed 
dedication  of  herself  to  Grod. 

"  I  am  just  returned  from  the  Lock,"  she  says 
in  the  evening,  "  where  I  heard  a  profitable  sermon 
from  dear  Mr.  Romaine  on  that  awful  passage,  '  This 
year  thou  shalt  die.'  If  the  Lord  shall  see  fit  to 
remove  me  hence  the  year  just  begun,  may  my  worth- 
less soul  be  numbered  with  the  redeemed  before  his 
throne.  Of  late  I  have  enjoyed  much  intimate  fel- 
lowship with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  frequently  witnessed  with  my  spirit  that  I 
am  his  child.  This  has  caused  me  to  rejoice  with 
unspeakable  joy." 

Such  are  the  delights  which  are  the  privilege  of 
the  Christian.  How  do  they  cheer  and  soothe  the 
soul  chafed  by  the  disappointments  and  cares  that 
must  needs  beset  us  in  our  earthly  pilgrimage.  In 
proportion  as  our  sphere  is  wide,  so  do  cares  multiply, 
and  we  live  to  see  the  fairest  mornings  clouded  and 
our  dearest  hopes  withered  in  the  bud  ;  drought 
blights  our  labors,  and  barrenness  eats  up  our  Edens. 
It  was  in  such  a  season  of  suspended  fruitfulness 
that  this  pious  woman  had  written  Berridge;  and 


188 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


to  her  letter,  under  the  date  of  January  9,  he  thus 
replies : 

"  You  complain  that  every  new  work  after  a 
season  becomes  a  lifeless  work.  And  was  it  not  in 
the  beginning  as  it  is  now  ?  Do  not  the  Acts  and 
epistles  show  that  the  primitive  churches  much  re- 
sembled our  own  ?  In  their  infancy  we  find  them  of 
one  heart  and  soul,  having  all  things  common;  but 
presently  read  of  partial  distribution  in  their  church 
stock,  then  of  eager  and  lasting  contentions  about 
circumcision,  coupling  Moses  with  Jesus,  and  setting 
a  servant  on  a  level  with  his  Master.  And  gentile 
churches  are  much  on  a  level  with  the  Jewish.  The 
Corinthians  soon  fell  into  parties  about  their  leaders, 
into  errors  about  the  resurrection,  and  into  many 
gross  immoralities.  The  Galatians  seemed  at  fiist 
ready  to  present  Paul  with  their  own  eyes,  but  grew 
desirous  at  last  of  plucking  out  his.  The  Ephesians 
had  been  much  tossed  by  winds  of  doctrine.  Tne 
Colossians  had  fallen  into  will-worship,  and  the  Thes- 
salonians  had  some  of  our  gossips  among  them  who 
would  not  work,  but  sauntered  about  picking  up  news 
and  telling  tales.  St.  Paul's  labors  were  much  em- 
ployed in  Asia,  and  many  churches  were  gathered 
there  ;  yet  I  hear  him  complaining  in  a  certain  place, 
that  4  all  they  in  Asia  were  turned  aside  from  him.' 
Scripture  mentions  a  former  and  a  latter  rain,  between 
which  of  course  there  must  have  been  an  interval  of 
drought  and  barrenness.  The  former  rain  falls  just 
after  seed-time,  when  there  is  plenty  of  manna  com- 
ing down  from  above,  plenty  of  honey  flowing  out  of 


THE  BREACH. 


189 


the  rock,  and  plenty  of  joyful  hosannas  rising  up  to 
Jesus.  After  this  rain  comes  the  interval,  during 
which  most  of  the  stony  and  thorny  grounds  sheer 
off,  taking  a  final  leave  of  Jesus ;  and  the  good 
grounds  are  scarcely  discernible,  so  cold  they  appear 
and  full  of  weeds,  so  exceedingly  cold  and  swampy. 
At  length  the  Lord  ariseth  in  just  indignation  to 
chastise  and  vex  his  people,  continuing  his  plagues 
until  he  has  broken  their  bones  and  humbled  their 
hearts,  causing  them  to  see  and  feel  and  loathe  their 
backslidings,  and  raising  up  a  sigh  and  a  cry  in  their 
hearts  for  deliverance.  Then  comes  the  latter  rain 
to  revive  and  settle ;  after  which  they  learn  to  walk 
humbly  with  God." 

"What  church  has  not  experienced  this  spiritual 
drought,  when  the  leaves  fall  from  the  fig-tree  and 
the  vine  fainteth  for  want  of  water  ?  If  the  laws 
of  the  natural  world  are  types  and  shadows  of  the 
spiritual,  then  such  things  must  needs  be  in  the  pres- 
ent economy  of  life.  And  though  we  see  but  through 
a  glass  darkly,  we  discern  a  heavenly  wisdom  :  those 
which  have  no  root  wither  away,  while  the  strong 
trunk  abides  the  heat,  and  the  delicate  flower  folds 
its  leaves  and  bows  its  head,  waiting  meekly  for  the 
rain ;  these  shall  be  for  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 
Blessed  are  those  who  endure  to  the  end. 

It  was  in  August  of  this  year  that  the  churches 
in  connection  with  Mr.  Wesley  held  their  twenty- 
seventh  annual  conference  in  London,  which  gave 
birth  to  a  controversy,  perhaps  one  of  the  hottest  and 
most  barren  of  spoils  in  the  annals  of  Protestant  the- 


190  •        LADY  HUNTING-TON . 

ology.  It  was  a  kindling  of  the  old  flames  that  so 
nearly  consumed  the  friendship  of  Wesley  and  White- 
field  more  than  twenty  years  before  ;  and  though 
smothered  for  a  season  by  the  predominance  of  the 
Christian  element,  theological  differences  which  mark- 
ed their  preaching  were  likely  to  assume  a  greater 
importance  in  the  minds  of  their  friends  or  follow- 
ers, and  demand  a  more  unqualified  acknowledg- 
ment. The  conference  made  the  following  decla- 
rations : 

"  1.  With  regard  to  men's  faithfulness.  Our 
Lord  himself  taught  us  to  use  the  expression,  there- 
fore we  ought  never  to  be  ashamed  of  it.  We  ought 
steadily  to  assert,  upon  his  authority,  that  if  a  man  is 
not  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  God  will 
not  give  him  the  true  riches. 

"  2.  With  regard  to  working  for  life,  which  our 
Lord  expressly  commands  us  to  do.  Labor,  work 
for  the  meat  that  endureth  to  everlasting  life.  And 
in  fact  every  believer,  till  he  comes  to  glory,  works 
for  as  well  as  from  life. 

"  3.  We  have  received  it  as  a  maxim,  that  '  a 
man  is  to  do  nothing  in  order  to  justification.'  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  false.  Whoever  desires  to  find  favor 
with  G-od,  should  cease  from  evil  and  learn  to  do 
well.  So  God  himself  teaches  by  the  prophet  Isaiah. 
Whosoever  repents,  should  do  works  meet  for  repent- 
ance. And  if  this  is  not  in  order  to  find  favor,  what 
does  he  do  it  for  ? 

"  In  review, 

"  1.  Who  of  us  is  now  accepted  of  God  ? 


THE  BREACH. 


191 


"  He  that  now  believes  in  Christ  with  a  loving 
and  obedient  heart. 

"  2.  But  who  among  those  that  never  heard  of 
Christ? 

"  He  that,  according  to  the  light  he  has,  feareth 
God  and  worketh  righteousness. 

"3.  Is  this  the  same  with  him  that  is  sincere  ? 

"  Nearly,  if  not  quite. 

"4.  Is  not  this  salvation  by  works  ? 

"  Not  by  the  merit  of  works,  but  by  works  as  a 
condition. 

"  5.  What  then  have  we  been  disputing  about 
these  thirty  years  ? 

"  I  am  afraid,  about  words. 

"6.  As  to  the  merit,  of  which  we  have  been  so 
dreadfully  afraid,  we  are  rewarded  according  to  our 
works,  yea,  because  of  our  ivorks.  How  does  this 
differ  from,  for  the  sake  of  our  ivorks?  Can  you 
split  this  hair  ? 

"7.  The  grand  objection  to  one  of  the  preceding 
doctrines  is  drawn  from  matter  of  fact.  God  does 
in  fact  justify  those  who,  by  their  own  confession, 
neither  feared  God  nor  wrought  righteousness.  Is 
this  an  exception  to  the  general  rule  ?  It  is  a  doubt 
whether  God  makes  any  exception  at  all.  But  how 
are  we  sure  that  the  person  in  question  never  did 
fear  God  or  work  righteousness?  His  own  saying 
so  is  no  proof;  for  we  know  how  all  that  are  con- 
vinced of  sin  undervalue  themselves  in  this  respect. 

"  8.  Does  not  talking  of  &  justified  or  a  sanctified 
state  tend  to  mislead  men  ?  almost  naturally  leading 


192 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


them  to  trust  in  what  was  done  at  one  moment? 
Whereas  we  are,  every  hour  and  every  moment,  pleas- 
ing or  displeasing  to  God  "  according  to  our  works," 
according  to  the  whole  of  our  inward  tempers  and  our 
outward  behavior." 

These  were  the  minutes  which  alarmed  Lady 
Huntington  and  her  friends,  because  they  were 
thought  to  be  aimed  against  divine  sovereignty  and 
electing  grace,  which  were  favorite  doctrines  of  Mr. 
Whitefield  and  his  adherents.  With  an  honest  though 
hasty  warmth,  Lady  Huntington  declared  that  no 
one  embracing  the  statements  laid  down  in  these 
minutes  could  remain  in  her  college.  Mr.  Benson, 
her  head-teacher,  defended  them,  and  in  consequence 
closed  his  connection  with  the  college. 

"  I  am  glad  you  had  courage,"  said  Wesley  to 
him,  "to  speak  your  mind  on  so  critical  an  occasion. 
At  all  hazards  do  so  still,  only  with  all  possible  ten- 
derness and  respect.  She  is  much  devoted  to  Grod, 
and  has  a  thousand  valuable  and  amiable  qualities." 

Mr.  Benson  immediately  informed  Mr.  Fletcher, 
the  President,  of  his  dismissal,  who  says,  with  his 
wonted  tenderness  for  those  who  love  the  Lord,  "  Take 
care,  my  dear  sir,  not  to  make  matters  worse  than 
they  are ;  cast  the  mantle  of  forgiving  love  over  cir- 
cumstances that  might  injure  the  cause  of  Grod,  so  far 
as  it  is  put  into  the  hands  of  that  eminent  lady,  who 
hath  so  well  deserved  of  the  church  of  Christ ;  but 
if  what  you  say  is  true,  a  false  step  has  been  taken, 
and  if  the  plan  of  the  college  is  overthrown,  I  have 
nothing  more  to  say  to  it." 


THE  BREACH. 


193 


A  circular  was  now  issued  by  the  offended  party 
inviting  the  clergy  of  all  denominations  to  convene 
at  Bristol,  in  order  to  meet  the  Wesleyan  conference, 
and  compel  them  to  retract  their  heresies.  The  tone 
of  the  circular  was  more  calculated  to  aggravate  than 
to  conciliate.  The-  evening  before  the  meeting  took 
place,  Lady  Huntington  wrote  to  Wesley  apologizing 
for  any  seeming  harshness  or  imperiousness :  "As 
Christians,"  she  says,  "we  wish  to  retract  what  a 
more  deliberate  consideration  might  have  prevented, 
as  we  would  as  little  wish  to  defend  even  truth  itself 
presumptuously,  as  we  would  submit  servilely  to 
deny  it." 

The  two  parties  met ;  a  candid  and  Christian 
temper  presided  over  the  discussions,  and  mutual 
explanations  and  concessions  took  place  ;  Lady  Hunt- 
ington's chaplains  and  friends  acknowledging  an  in- 
discreet haste  in  making  up  and  expressing  their 
opinions,  and  Wesley  consenting  to  make  such  a 
public  explanation  of  his  views  as  would  satisfy  the 
unbiassed  mind. 

"Whereas,"  he  says,  "the  doctrinal  points  in  the 
minutes  of  a  conference  held  in  London,  August  7, 
1770,  have  been  understood  to  favor  justification  by 
works ;  now  we',  the  Rev.  John  Wesley  and  others, 
assembled  in  conference,  do  declare  we  had  no  such 
meaning,  and  that  we  abhor  the  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  works  as  a  most  perilous  and  abominable 
doctrine.  And  as  the  said  minutes  are  not  suffi- 
ciently guarded  in  the  way  they  are  expressed,  we 
hereby  solemnly  declare  in  the  sight  of  Grod,  that  we 

Huntington  9 


194 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


have  no  trust  or  confidence  but  in  the  alone  merits  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  for  justification 
or  salvation,  either  in  life,  death,  or  the  day  of  judg- 
ment ;  and  though  no  one  is  a  real  believer  who  doeth 
not  good  works  when  there  is  time  and  opportunity, 
yet  our  works  have  no  part  in  meriting  or  purchasing 
our  justification,  from  first  to  last,  either  in  whole  or 
in  part."  And  thus  it  stands,  signed  by  fifty-three 
of  his  preachers. 

This  frank  and  manly  avowal,  or  disavowal,  qui- 
eted the  apprehensions  of  his  friends ;  and  peace  must 
have  been  speedily  restored  between  the  two  religious 
parties,  had  not  a  vindication  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
minutes,  prepared  by  Mr.  Fletcher  at  the  request 
of  Mr.  Wesley,  and  written  before  the  meeting  of  the 
conference  of  adjustment,  soon  appeared.  When 
Fletcher  heard  the  result  of  the  meeting  at  Bristol, 
he  was  extremely  anxious  to  suppress  the  article; 
but  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  violent  partisan,  who 
hastened  it  through  the  press,  and  the  gauntlet  being 
thus  thrown  down,  combatants  were  not  wanting  to 
take  the  field. 

The.  details  of  this  warfare  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  record  here.  Sir  Richard  Hill,  Rev.  Augustus  Top- 
lady,  and  Mr.  Berridge  were  the  principal  writers  on 
one  side ;  Fletcher,  Sellon,  and  Olivers  on  the  other. 
However  powerful  may  have  been  the  arguments 
wielded  on  either  side,  tools  also  of  a  sharper  point 
were  freely  used ;  acrimonious  and  intemperate  ex- 
pressions were  hurled  back  and  forth ;  both  parties, 
instead  of  convincing  or  retreating,  were  driven  to  the 


THE  BREACH. 


195 


extremes  of  their  own  principles,  and  made  unguard- 
ed assertions  of  themselves  and  their  opponents,  the 
effect  of  which  was  to  alienate  the  hearts  of  Christian 
brethren,  draw  them  from  their  proper  work,  and 
widen  the  breach  between  those  who  really  loved  the 
Lord.  Mr.  Thornton  and  others  tried  to  pacify  the 
parties,  and  moderate  some  of  their  excesses,  but  it 
availed  little.  "Wesley  took  no  active  part  in  the  war ; 
and  Fletcher,  though  one  of  the  principal  actors,  must 
be  allowed  to  have  preserved  the  habitual  serenity  of 
his  spirit ;  he  was  indeed,  in  a  measure,  above  the 
storms  of  earthly  passions.  "While  in  the  heat  of  the 
controversy  he  came  to  Stoke  Newington  seriously 
indisposed,  where  he  was  visited  by  many  distin- 
guished people  and  several  of  his  opponents.  "  I 
went  to  see  a  man  with  one  foot  in  the  grave,"  said 
one  of  him,  "but  I  found  a  man  with  one  foot  in 
heaven." 

"  Your  ladyship's  account  of  what  occurred  at 
Mr.  Wesley's  last  conference  does  not  surprise  me," 
wrote  Lady  Grlenorchy  from  Edinburgh;  "may  the 
Lord  Grod  of  Israel  be  with  you,  and  enable  you  to 
make  a  firm  stand  in  defence  of  a  free-grace  gospel. 
Lady  Anne's  letter  told  me  all  you  had  been  doing  in 
this  momentous  affair.  "When  you  next  write  to  dear 
Mr.  Shirley,  give  my  kindest  regards  to  him,  and  also 
to  Mr.  Fletcher,  Mr.  Yenn,  and  Mr.  Romaine.  May 
we  all  be  kept  by  the  mighty  power  of  Grod  unto  the 
day  of  salvation. 

"I  am  rejoiced  at  the  success  which  has  attended 
the  college  and  your  very  extensive  field  of  labor.  I 


196 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


long  to  be  more  actively  engaged  for  (rod,  but  hitherto 
my  way  has  been  greatly  hedged  up.  When  the 
weather  permits,  I  frequently  visit  the  poor,  and  find 
much  liberty  and  pleasure  in  speaking  for  God. 
Knowing  the  great  demands  upon  your  generosity,  I 
beg  your  acceptance  of  the  enclosed  for  four  hundred 
pounds,  which  you  will  oblige  me  by  expending  in 
that  glorious  cause  which  my  heart  longs  to  serve ; 
and  at  the  same  time  allow  me  to  repeat,  what  I  have 
already  assured  your  ladyship,  that  my  purse  is  always 
at  your  command,  as  I  feel  persuaded  that  the  Lord 
smiles  on  your  plans  of  usefulness  and  will  crown 
them  with  his  blessing." 

A  writer,  describing  these  polemics,  speaks  of 
Berridge  as  a  "buffoon  as  well  as  a  fanatic,"  neither 
a  very  impartial  nor  discerning  estimate  of  one  of  the 
noblest  spirits  of  his  day.  We  might,  indeed,  some- 
times regret  the  indulgence  of  his  humor,  and  could 
wish,  for  his  vocation's  sake,  a  check-rein  to  the 
bridle  of  his  speech ;  but  we  fear  we  should  have  con- 
tinued to  laugh  with  him,  instead  of  giving  him  the 
highest  and  noblest  proof  of  our  love  for  him  and  for 
Christ's  cause,  shown  by  Mr.  John  Thornton  in  the 
following  letter — a  letter  worthy  of  serious  perusal  by 
every  clergyman  whose  wit  is  liable  to  get  the  better 
of  his  wisdom. 

u  In  some  discussions  we  have  had  relative  to 
'  The  Christian  World  Unmasked,' "  discourses  Mr. 
Thornton,  "  I  could  not  help  laughing  with  you, 
though  at  the  same  time  I  felt  a  check  within ;  your 
reasons  silenced,  but  did  not  satisfy  me.    Your  vein 


BERRIDGE. 


197 


of  humor  and  mine  seem  much  alike.  If  there  is  any 
difference  "between  us,  it  lies  here :  I  would  strive 
against  mine,  while  you  seem  to  indulge  yours.  I 
fight  against  mine,  because  I  find  the  ludicrous  spirit 
is  just  as  dangerous  as  the  sullen  one  ;  and  it  is  much 
the  same  to  our  great  adversary,  whether  he  falls  in 
with  a  capricious,  or  facetious  turn  of  mind.  I  could 
not  forbear  smiling  at  your  humorous  allegory  about 
the  tooth,  and  was  pleased  at  the  good  sense  dis- 
played in  it ;  yet  something  came  across  my  mind — 
Is  this  method  agreeable  to  the  idea  we  ought  to 
entertain  of  a  father  in  Israel  ?  It  would  pass  mighty 
well  in  a  newspaper,  or  any  thing  calculated  for 
public  entertainment ;  but  it  certainly  wanted  that 
solidity  or  seriousness  that  a  Christian  minister  should 
write  with.  What  the  apostle  said  in  another  sense 
will  apply  here :  '  When  I  was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a 
child,'  etc.  An  expression  of  yours  in  your  prayer 
before  sermon,  when  at  Tottenham-court,  struck  me, 
that  God  would  give  us  new  bread,  not  stale,  but 
what  was  baked  in  the  oven  that  day.  Whether  it 
is  that  I  am  too  little,  or  you  too  much  used  to  such 
expressions,  I  wont  pretend  to  determine,  but  I  could 
not  help  thinking  it  savored  of  attention  to  men  more 
than  to  Grod.  I  know  the  apology  frequently  made 
for  such  language  is,  that  the  common  people  require 
it;  it  fixes  their  attention,  and  it  affords  matter  for 
conversation  afterwards ;  for  a  sentence  out  of  the 
common  road  is  more  remembered  than  all  the  rest. 
This  may  be  true,  but  the  effect  it  has  is  only  a  loud 
laugh  among  their  acquaintances ;  not  one  person  is 


198 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


edified,  and  many  are  offended  by  such  like  expres- 
sions. Some  ministers  I  have  known,  run  into  the 
other  extreme,  and  think  something  grand  must  be 
uttered  to  strike  the  audience  ;  but  this  seems  to  me 
as  unnecessary  as  the  other,  and  both  have  a  twang 
of  self-conceit,  and  seem  like  leaning  to  carnal  wis- 
dom. Truth,  simple  truth,  requires  no  embellish- 
ments, nor  should  it  be  degraded ;  we  are  not  to  add 
or  to  take  from  it,  but  to  remember  the  power  is  of 
God  wholly. 

"  My  reverend  friend,  as  an  old  man,  might  be 
indulged  in  his  favorite  peculiarities  if  they  would 
stop  with  him  ;  but  others  catch  the  infection,  and  we 
find  young  ministers  and  common  people  indulging 
themselves  in  the  same  way ;  they  think  they  are 
authorized  so  to  do  by  such  an  example.   Wit  in  any 
person  is  dangerous  and  often  mischievous  when 
used  improperly,  and  especially  on  religious  subjects; 
for  as  the  professing  part  of  an  audience  will  much 
longer  retain  a  witty  or  low  expression  than  one  more 
serious,  so  will  the  wicked  part  of  it  too,  and  turn  it 
to  the  disadvantage  of  religion.    I  recollect  but  one 
humorous  passage  in  all  the  Bible,  which  is  that  of 
Elijah  with  the  Baalites  ;  and  when  the  time,  place, 
and  circumstances  are  properly  considered,  nothing 
could  be  more  seasonable,  nothing  so  effectually  ex- 
pose the  impotency  of  their  false  god,  and  the  absurd- 
ity of  their  vain  worship.    The  prophets  often  speak 
ironically,  sometimes  satirically,  but  I  do  not  remem- 
ber of  their  ever  speaking  ludicrously.    Our  Lord 
and  his  apostles  never  had  recourse  to  any  such  meth- 


BERRIDG-E. 


199 


ods.  The  short  abstracts  we  have  of  their  sermons 
and  conversations  are  all  in  a  serious  strain,  and  min- 
isters cannot  copy  after  a  better  example.  I  dare  not 
say  that  giving  liberty  to  a  man's  natural  turn,  or 
an  endeavor  to  put  and  keep  the  people  in  good- 
humor,  is  sinful ;  but  this  .1  may  assert,  such  a 
method  is  universally  followed  on  the  stage,  and  in 
all  places  of  public  entertainment,  and  therefore  it 
seems  to  me  to  savor  much  more  of  the  old  man  than 
of  the  new. 

"I  remember  you  once  jocularly  informed  me 
you  was  born  with  a  fool's  cap  on ;  pray,  my  dear  sir, 
is  it  not  high  time  it  was  pulled  off  ?  Such  an  accou- 
trement may  suit  a  natural  birth,  and  be  of  service ; 
but  surely  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  a  spiritual  one, 
nor  ever  can  be  made  ornamental  to  a  serious  man, 
much  less  to  a  Christian  minister.  I  waive  men- 
tioning scripture  injunctions,  such  as,  "  Let  your 
speech  be  with  grace,"  etc.,  as  you  know  these  better 
than  I  do.  Surely  they  should  have  some  weight, 
for  idle  and  unprofitable  words  stand  forbidden.  If 
it  should  please  G-od  to  give  you  to  see  things  as  I  do, 
you  will  think  it  necessary  to  be  more  guarded ;  but 
should  you  think  me  mistaken,  I  trust  it  will  make 
no  interruption  with  our  friendship  that  I  am  thus 
free  with  you,  as  it  proceeds  from  a  sincere  love  and 
regarl  The  Tabernacle  people  are  in  general  wild 
and  enthusiastic,  and  delight  in  any  thing  out  of  the 
common  course,  which  is  a  temper  of  mind,  though 
in  some  respects  necessary,  yet  that  should  never  be 
encouraged.    If  you  and  some  few  others,  who  have 


200  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

the  greatest  influence  over  them,  would  use  the  curb 
instead  of  the  spur,  I  am  persuaded  the  effect  would 
be  very  blessed.  "Wildfire  is  better  than  no  fire  ; 
but  there  is  a  divine  warmth  between  these  two  ex- 
tremes which  the  real  Christian  catches,  and  which 
when  obtained  is  evidenced  by  a  cool  head  and  a 
warm  heart,  and  makes  him  a  glorious,  shining  ex- 
ample to  all  around  him.  I  desire  to  be  earnest  in 
prayer  that  we  may  be  more  and  more  partakers  of 
this  heavenly  wisdom,  and  ascribe  all  might,  maj- 
esty, and  dominion,  to  the  Lord  alone. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  affectionately, 

"JOHN  THORNTON." 

"Dear  and  honored  sir,"  replies  the  vicar,  "your 
favor  of  the  17th  requires  an  answer  attended  with  a 
challenge  ;  and  I  do  hereby  challenge  you,  and  defy 
all  your  acquaintances  to  prove,  that  I  have  a  single 
correspondent  half  so  honest  as  yourself.  Epistolary 
intercourses  are  become  a  polite  traffic,  and  he  that 
can  say  pretty  things,  and  wink  at  bad  things,  is  an 
admired  correspondent.  Indeed,  for  want  of  due 
authority  and  meekness  on  one  side,  and  of  patience 
and  humility  on  the  other,  to  give  or  to  take  reproof, 
a  fear  of  raising  indignation  instead  of  conviction, 
often  puts  a  bar  on  the  door  of  my  lips ;  for  I  find 
where  reproof  does  not  humble  it  hardens,  and  the 
seasonable  time  of  striking,  if  we  can  catch  it,  is 
when  the  iron  is  hot :  when  the  heart  is  melted  down 
in  a  furnace,  then  it  submits  to  the  stroke,  and 
takes  and  retains  the  impression.  I  wish  you  would 
exercise  the  trade  of  a  gospel  limner,  and  draw  the 


BERRIDGE. 


201 


features  of  all  my  brethren  in  black,  and  send  them 
their  portraits.  I  believe  you  would  do  them  justice 
every  way,  by  giving  every  cheek  its  proper  blush 
without  hiding  a  dimple  upon  it.  Yet  I  fear,  if  your 
subsistence  depended  on  this  business,  you  would 
often  want  a  morsel  of  bread,  unless  I  sent  you  a 
quartern  loaf  from  Everton. 

"  As  to  myself,  you  know  the  man :  odd  things 
break  from  me  as  abruptly  as  croaking  from  a  raven. 
I  was  born  with  a  fool's  cap.  True,  you  say;  yet 
why  is  not  the  cap  put  off?  It  suits  the  first  Adam, 
but  not  the  second.  A  very  proper  question,  and  my 
answer  is  this :  a  fool's  cap  is  not  put  off  so  readily 
as  a  nightcap.  One  cleaves  to  the  head,  and  one  to 
the  heart.  Not  many  prayers  only,  but  many  fur- 
naces, are  needful  for  this  purpose.  And  after  all, 
the  same  thing  happens  to  a  tainted  heart  as  to  a 
tainted  cask,  which  may  be  sweetened  by  many 
washings  and  firings,  yet  a  scent  remains  still.  Late 
furnaces  have  singed  the  bonnet  of  my  cap,  but  the 
crown  still  abides  on  my  he  id  ;  and  I  must  confess 
that  the  crown  so  abides,  in  whole  or  in  part,  for  want 
of  a  closer  walk  with  God,  and  nearer  communion 
with  him.  When  I  creep  near  the  throne,  this  humor 
disappears,  or  is  tempered  so  well  as  not  to  be  dis- 
tasteful. Hear,  sir,  how  my  Master  deals  with  me . 
when  I  am  running  wild,  and  sayi  g  things  some- 
what rash  or  very  quaint,  he  gives  me  an  immediate 
blow  on  my  breast,  which  stuns  me.  Such  a  check 
I  received  while  I  was  uttering  that  expression  in 
prayer  you  complained  of;  but  the  bolt  was  too  far 

9* 


202 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


shot  to  be  recovered.  Thus  I  had  intelligence  from 
above,  before  I  received  it  from  your  hand.  However, 
I  am  bound  to  thank  you,  and  do  hereby  acknow- 
ledge myself  reimbursed  for  returning  your  note. 

"  And  now,  dear  sir,  having  given  you  an  honest 
account  of  myself,  and  acknowledged  the  obligation 
I  owe  you,  I  would  return  the  obligation  in  the  best 
manner  I  am  able.  It  has  been  a  matter  of  surprise 
to  me  how  Dr.  Conyers  could  accept  of  Deptford 
living,  and  how  Mr.  Thornton  could  present  him  to 
it.  The  Lord  says,  'Woe  to  the  idle  shepherd  that 
leaveth  his  flock.'  Is  not  Helmsley  flock,  and  a 
choice  flock  too,  left — left  altogether,  and  left  in  the 
hands,  not  of  shepherds  to  feed,  but  of  wolves  to 
devour  them  ?  Has  not  lucre  led  him  to  Deptford, 
and  has  not  a  family  connection  overruled  your  pri- 
vate judgment  ?  You  may  give  me  a  box  on  the  ear 
for  these  questions,  if  you  please,  and  I  will  take  it 
kindly,  and  still  love  and  pray  for  you. 

"  The  Lord  bless  you,  and  bless  your  family,  and 
bless  your  affectionate  servant, 

"JOHN  BERRIDGE." 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


203 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

Whitefield,  though  sick  and  infirm,  was  im- 
pelled by  the  strong  current  of  his  Christian  sympa- 
thies to  revisit  America.  He  had  been  now  four  years 
in  England,  and  his  heart  yearned  with  unspeakable 
tenderness  for  his  dear  children  over  the  waters. 
"  Besides,"  he  says,  "  a  pilgrim  life  is  to  me  the 
sweetest  this  side  of  eternity ;  I  am  more  content  with 
it,  and  I  shall  have  time  enough  to  rest  in  heaven." 

As  the  time  of  his  departure  drew  near,  more  than 
ordinary  tenderness  and  solemnity  mingled  with  his 
leave-takings.  "Oh  these  partings,"  he  exclaimed; 
"  without  a  divine  support,  they  would  be  intolerable. 
Paul  could  stand  a  whipping-post,  but  not  a  weeping 
farewell." 

On  the  day  of  his  leaving  London,  he  preached 
at  the  Tabernacle  atseven  in  the  morning ;  none  too 
early  for  the  friends  and  admirers  of  this  distin- 
guished man  to  grope  their  way  through  the  damp 
and  dingy  atmosphere  of  an  early  London  morning, 
responsive  to  his  call. 

"  Oh,  sinners,  you  are  come  to  hear  a  poor  crea- 
ture take  his  last  farewell ;  but  I  want  you  to  forget 
the  creature  and  his  preaching.  I  want  to  lead  you 
further  than  the  Tabernacle,  even  to  mount  Cal- 
vary, to  see  with  what  expense  of  blood  Jesus  Christ 
purchased  his  own.    Now,  before  I  go  any  further, 


204 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


will  you  be  so  good,  before  the  world  gets  into  your 
hearts,  to  inquire  whether  you  belong  to  Christ  or 
not  ?  Surely  the  world  did  not  get  into  your  hearts 
before  you  rose  from  your  beds.  Many  of  you  were 
up  sooner  than  usual.  I  hope  the  world  does  not  get 
into  your  hearts  before  nine,  Man,  woman,  sinner, 
put  thy  hand  upon  thy  heart  and  say,  didst  thou  ever 
hear  Christ's  voice  so  as  to  follow  him?" 

Thus,  with  apostolic  fervency  and  colloquial  direct- 
ness, did  he  plead  for  the  last  time  in  behalf  of  the 
immortal  interests  of  his  Tabernacle  auditory.  There 
were  heavy  hearts  and  tearful  eyes,  even  among  strong 
men ;  while  a  cloud  of  heavenly  benediction  went  up 
from  grateful  souls  which  had  been  made  glad  by  his 
messages  of  love. 

A  large  number  of  his  friends,  in  coaches  and  on 
horseback,  accompanied  him  to  Gravesend,  where  he 
embarked  on  the  last  of  September,  1769.  Contrary 
winds  detained  the  vessel  some  days  along  the  coast, 
affording  several  opportunities  for  "Whitefield  to  land 
and  preach  yet  again  on  the  dear  old  English  soil. 
Favoring  breezes  at  last  sprung  up,  and  his  native 
land  faded  for  ever  from  his  sight.  After  a  long  and 
tedious  passage,  his  thirteenth  across  the  Atlantic, 
the  Friendship  arrived  off  Charleston  the  first  of  De- 
cember, and  a  cordial  welcome  awaited  him  on  shore. 
"  Grace,  grace  !"  ejaculates  "Whitefield  ;  "  a  recep- 
tion as  hearty  or  heartier  than  ever.  Blessed  be  God, 
I  am  brave  and  well,  and  am  able  to  preach  this 
afternoon." 

As  soon  as  possible  he  hastened  to  visit  his  Orphan- 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


205 


house  at  Bethesda.  "  Oh  Bethesda,  my  Bethel,  my 
Peniel !"  he  exclaims ;  "  my  happiness  is  inconceiv- 
able. I  have  had  nine  or  ten  prizes  lately — you  know 
what  I  mean — nine  or  ten  orphans  have  been  lately 
taken  in.  Hallelujah." 

For  thirty  years  the  Orphan-house  had  been  the 
child  of  his  love,  the  object  of  his  paternal  care,  and 
the  one  thing  which  he  felt  anxious  to  provide  for. 
An  infirmary  had  been  added  to  it,  to  which  the  poor 
and  disabled  resorted  for  charitable  assistance,  and  at 
one  time  the  number  of  patients  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  Although  we  find  there  was 
much  land  attached  to  the  institution,  a  garden  filled 
with  "  all  sorts  of  greens,"  "  plenty  of  milk,  eggs, 
and  poultry,"  sheep  and  cattle  and  horses,  yet  it  was 
far  from  self-supporting;  it  seems  always  to  have 
been  attended  with  a  heavy  expense  to  the  founder, 
who  every  year  was  compelled  to  tax  the  Christian 
public  for  its  support. 

Bethesda,  however,  wore  an  unusually  flourishing 
aspect  when  now  visited  by  Whitefield,  and  he  imme- 
diately set  about  projecting  a  plan  to  increase  its 
range  of  usefulness  by  adding  a  college  ;  and  "  thus, 
may  it  please  your  excellency,"  runs  his  memorial  to 
the  governor  of  Georgia,  "my  beloved  Bethesda  will 
not  only  be  continued  a  house  of  mercy  to  poor 
orphans,  but  be  confirmed  as  a  seat  and  nursery  of 
sound  learning  and  religious  education,  I  trust,  to  the 
latest  posterity."  We  find  the  following  notice  in 
the  Georgia  Graze tte,  bearing  date,  Savannah,  Janu- 
ary 31,  1770 : 


206 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


"  Last  Sunday,  his  excellency  the  governor,  council, 
and  assembly,  having  been  invited  by  the  Rev.  George 
Whitefield,  attended  divine  service  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Orphan-house  academy,  where  prayers  were  read 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellington,  and  a  very  suitable  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  "Whitefield,  from 
Zechariah  4  :  9,  10  :  '  The  hands  of  Zerubbabel  have 
laid  the  foundation  of  this  house ;  his  hands  shall  also 
finish  it ;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  the  Lord  of 
hosts  hath  sent  me  unto  you ;  for  who  hath  despised 
the  day  of  small  things  V  to  the  general  satisfaction 
of  his  auditory.  After  divine  service,  the  company 
were  very  politely  entertained  with  a  plentiful  and 
handsome  dinner,  and  were  greatly  pleased  to  see  the 
useful  improvements  made  in  the  house  in  so  much 
forwardness,  and  the  whole  executed  with  taste  and 
in  a  masterly  manner ;  and  being  sensible  of  the  truly 
generous  and  disinterested  benefactions  derived  to 
the  province  through  his  means,  they  expressed  their 
gratitude  in  the  most  respectful  terms." 

In  whatever  light  the  plan  of  a  college  was  re- 
garded by  the  colonial  authorities,  no  measures  were 
ever  taken  towards  putting  it  into  execution  during  the 
lifetime  of  Whitefield ;  and  after  his  death,  one  dis- 
aster after  another  swept  away  every  thing  but  the 
memory  and  the  name  of  the  Orphan-house  of  Georgia. 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  Whitefield's  return  to  the 
colonies  had  spread  abroad,  pressing  invitations  from 
the  north  poured  in  upon  him,  while  the  cordiality  of 
his  Georgia  friends,  and  the  apparent  prosperity  of  his 
Bethesda,  tempted  him  to  remain  at  the  south  ;  "but 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD.  207 

0 

no  resting  this  side  of  eternity,"  he  exclaimed;  "all 
must  give  way  to  that  divine  employ,  gospel  rang- 
ing." Accordingly,  when  spring  opens,  we  follow  him 
to  Philadelphia,  "where  pulpits,  hearts,  and  affec- 
tions seemed  to  be  as  open  and  enlarged  towards  him 
as  ever;"  and  "notwithstanding  I  preach  twice  on 
the  Lord's  day,  and  three  or  four  times  a  week,"  he 
tells  us,  "  I  am  better  than  I  have  been  for  many 
years." 

He  worked  hard  all  summer,  feeble  as  he  was, 
with  a  fixed  and  unfaltering  purpose  to  spend  and  be 
spent  in  the  service  of  his  Lord.  From  Philadelphia 
we  track  him  to  New  York,  wind  with  him  up  the 
Hudson  and  the  Mohawk,  project  with  him  a  mis- 
sionary tour  among  the  benighted  Oneidas,  tarry 
with  him  at  Northampton,  welcome  him  to  Bos- 
ton, and  with  anxious  glance  behold  him,  "faint 
yet  rejoicing,"  start  on  a  journey  from  that  city  to 
the  east. 

Everywhere  his  heart  and  hands  are  full ;  people 
flock  to  hear  him  ;  he  has  lost  nothing  of  the  forceful 
oratory  of  thirty  years  before  :  the  heart  is  moved, 
the  conscience  pierced,  and  in  spite  of  the  abuse  and 
misrepresentation  which  frequently  beset  his  path, 
his  presence  is  reverently  sought  for,  his  coming 
eagerly  expected,  his  arrival  cordially  welcomed,  and 
his  "journeyings  oft"  are  like  a  march  of  triumph 
through  the  land.  Sorely  worn  and  weary  is  the  out- 
ward, yet  is  the  inward  life  struggling  for  utterance 
and  action.  Now  he  is  compelled  to  pause  and 
recruit  his  decaying  powers ;  the  next  day  he  starts 


208 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


up  from  the  suffering  couch  as  with  a  fresh  lease  of 
health. 

"  You  will  see,"  he  writes  from  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  and  it  was  his  last  letter,  "  hy  the  many 
invitations,  what  a  door  is  opened  for  preaching  the 
everlasting  gospel.  I  was  so  ill  on  Friday  that  I 
could  not  preach,  though  thousands  were  waiting  to 
hear.  Well,  the  day  of  release  will  shortly  come  ; 
but  it  does  not  seem  yet,  for  by  riding  sixty  miles 
I  am  better,  and  hope  to  preach'  here  to-morrow.  I 
trust  my  blessed  Master  will  accept  of  these  poor 
efforts  to  serve  him.  Oh,  for  a  warm  heart.  Oh,  to 
stand  fast  in  the  faith ;  to  quit  ourselves  like  men, 
and  be  strong." 

On  a  beautiful  Saturday  in  the  latter  part  of 
September,  he  rode  from  Portsmouth  to  Exeter,  where 
he  was  expected,  and  preached  to  a  great  multitude 
already  assembled  in  the  fields  beneath  a  rich  autum- 
nal sky,  and  surrounded  by  the  golden  harvest.  Be- 
fore going  out,  some  one  remarked  he  was  more  fit  to 
go  to  bed  than  to  preach. 

"  True,  sir,"  replied  the  almost  dying  man,  who 
turned  aside,  and  clasping  his  hands,  ejaculated, 
"Lord  Jesus,  I  am  weary  in  thy  work,  but  not  of  it. 
If  I  have  not  yet  finished  my  course,  let  me  go  and 
speak  for  thee  once  more  in  the  field,  seal  thy  truth, 
and  come  home  to  die  ;"  and  it  seemed  like  prophetic 
prayer :  once  more  he  went  forth,  and  the  forests  rang 
with  the  melody  of  his  tones,  and  men  hung  on  his 
words  as  if  they  had  been  the  words  of  an  angel. 

After  dining  with  Captain  Oilman,  he  rode  to 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


209 


Newburyport.  The  evening  shadows  of  his  brilliant 
day  were  fast  lengthening  around  him.  Night  over- 
took him  in  the  cold  damps  of  death,  and  the  Sabbath 
dawn  witnessed  his  departure  to  an  eternal  Sabbath 
in  the  heavens.  His  death  was  sudden  and  unex- 
pected. Though  known  to  be  sick,  his  ceaseless  ac- 
tivity made  men  forget  his  infirmities,  and  the  pause 
in  his  career  was  abrupt  and  startling.  This  event 
occurred  September  30,  1770. 

Everywhere  good  men  made  great  lamentation 
over  him. 

Mr.  Sherburne  of  Portsmouth  immediately  sent  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Parsons,  at  whose  house  he  died,  to  beg  the 
body  for  his  own  new  tomb ;  several  gentlemen  also 
came  from  Boston  to  ask  for  the  remains  of  one  so 
dear  to  the  churches ;  but  mindful  of  Whitefield's 
often  expressed  desire,  should  he  die  at  Newburyport, 
that  he  might  be  buried  before  the  pulpit  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Parsons  declined  these  requests,  and  the  great 
evangelist  lies  interred  in  the  Federal-street  church, 
where  a  handsome  cenotaph  has  been  erected  to  his 
memory. 

The  funeral  services  were  most  solemn  and  affect- 
ing, for  multitudes  of  his  spiritual  children  gathered 
to  mourn  around  his  bier.  Just  before  the  coffin  was 
lowered  into  the  vault,  Rev.  Daniel  Rogers  of  Exeter 
offered  a  prayer,  during  which  he  cried  out,  "  0  my 
father,  my  father !"  when  overwhelmed  by  his  own 
emotions,  he  sat  down  and  wept  aloud,  while  sighs 
and  sobs  came  from  every  part  of  the  church ;  and  as 
the  great  congregation  broke  up,  people  went  to  their 


210 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


homes  weeping  silently.  The  sad  tidings  of  his  death 
reached  London  November  5,  1770. 

"  Whitefield  was  the  prince  of  English  preachers," 
says  an  English  critic.  "  Many  have  surpassed  him 
as  sermon-makers,  but  none  have  approached  him  as 
a  pulpit  orator.  Many  have  outshone  him  in  the 
clearness  of  their  logic,  the  grandeur  of  their  concep- 
tion, and  the  sparkling  beauty  of  single  sentences ; 
but  in  the  power  of  darting  the  gospel  direct  into  the 
conscience,  he  eclipsed  them  all. 

"  He  was  an  orator,  but  he  only  sought  to  be  an 
evangelist.  Indeed,  so  simple  was  his  nature,  that 
glory  to  God  and  good- will  to  men  having  filled  it, 
there  was  room  for  little  more.  Having  no  church  to 
found,  no  family  to  enrich,  and  no  memory  to  immortal- 
ize, he  was  the  mere  ambassador  of  God ;  and  inspired 
with  its  genial,  piteous  spirit — so  full  of  heaven  rec- 
onciled and  humanity  restored — he  soon  himself  be- 
came a  living  gospel.  Radiant  with  its  benignity 
and  trembling  with  its  tenderness,  by  a  sort  of  spir- 
itual induction  a  vast  audience  would  speedily  be 
brought  into  a  frame  of  mind,  the  transfusing  of  his 
own ;  and  the  white  furrows  on  their  sooty  faces  told 
that  Kingswood  colliers  were  weeping,  or  the  quiver- 
ing of  an  ostrich  plume  bespoke  its  elegant  wearer's 
deep  emotion.  Coming  to  his  work  direct  from  com- 
munion with  his  Master,  and  in  all  the  strength  of 
accepted  prayer,  there  was  an  elevation  in  his  views 
which  often  paralyzed  hostility,  and  a  self-possession 
which  only  made  him,  amid  uproar  and  fury,  the 
more  sublime.    And  when  it  is  known  that  his 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


211 


voice  could  be  heard  by  twenty  thousand,  and  that 
ranging  all  the  empire,  as  well  as  America,  he  would 
often  preach  thrice  on  a  working-day,  and  that  he 
has  received  in  one  week  as  many  as  a  thousand 
letters  from  persons  awakened  by  his  sermons,  if  no 
estimate  can  be  formed  of  the  results  of  his  ministry, 
some  idea  may  be  suggested  of  its  vast  extent  and 
singular  effectiveness." 

We  have  followed  him  for  the  most  part  in  the 
light  of  his  triumphs,  we  have  listened  only  to  the 
pleasant  voices  of  those  who  loved  him,  and  have 
heard  only  the  echo  of  his  soul-stirring  eloquence,  yet 
Whitefield  had  many  foes,  who  made  "no  small  stir'' 
against  him.  Cowper  tells  us,  in  the  beautiful  tribute 
which  he  paid  to  his  memory,  how  the  preacher  and 
the  world  quit  scores  ;  for, 

"Assailed  by  scandal  and  the  tongue  of  strife, 
His  only  answer  was  a  blameless  life  ; 
And  he  that  forged,  and  he  that  threw  the  dart, 
Had  each  a  brother's  interest  in  his  heart. 
Paul's  love  of  Christ,  and  steadiness  unbribed, 
Were  copied  close  in  him,  and  well  transcribed. 
He  followed  Paul — his  zeal  a  kindred  flame, 
His  apostolic  charity  the  same  ; 
Like  him,  crossed  cheerfully  tempestuous  seas, 
Forsaking  country,  kindred,  friends,  and  ease ; 
Like  him  he  labored,  and  like  him,  content 
To  bear  it,  suffered  shame  where'er  he  went." 

Whitefield  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  He  was 
married  in  1741,  but  enjoyed  little  of  domestic  life, 
for  his  field  was  the  world  :  one  son,  the  only  fruit  of 
this  union,  was  removed  in  early  childhood,  and  his 
wife  died  two  years  before  himself. 


212 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


By  Whitefield's  will  it  was  found  that  the  orphan- 
house  in  Bethesda,  and  likewise  all  his  buildings, 
land,  books,  and  furniture  in  the  province  of  Georgia, 
were  bequeathed,  as  the  will  ran,  "  to  that  lady  elect, 
that  mother  in  Israel,  that  mirror  of  true  and  unde- 
nted religion,  the  Right  Honorable  Selina  Countess 
Dowager  of  Huntington ;"  and  in  case  she  should 
be  called  to  enter  upon  her  glorious  rest  before  his 
decease,  to  Honorable  James  Habersham,  a  merchant 
of  Savannah,  and  one  also  of  the  original  Oxford 
band. 

In  a  codicil  appended  to  the  will,  we  find  a  record 
of  cherished  friendships.  "I  also  leave  a  mourning- 
ring  to  my  honored  and  dear  friends  the  Rev.  John 
and  Charles  "Wesley,  in  token  of  my  indissoluble 
union  with  them  in  heart  and  Christian  affection, 
notwithstanding  our  difference  in  judgment  about 
some  particular  points  of  doctrine." 

"With  these  possessions  was  bequeathed  to  Lady 
Huntington  a  large  revenue  of  care  and  anxiety, 
which,  with  .grief  for  the  loss  of  so  well-beloved  a 
friend  and  faithful  a  coadjutor,  so  pressed  upon  her 
spirit,  that  she  appointed  Tuesday,  the  15th  of  Jan- 
uary, a  day  of  especial  prayer  throughout  the  chapels 
under  her  patronage,  that  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  would  pour  out  his  Spirit  both  upon  ministers 
and  people,  and  that  she  herself  might  lay  hold  with 
a  more  simple  and  relying  faith  upon  the  "arm  of 
the  Lord,"  which  alone  is  strength  and  protection. 

Not  daunted  by  this  accession  to  her  labors,  Lady 
Huntington  soon  began  to  act  with  her  characteristic 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


213 


energy.  She  took  every  measure  to  make  herself 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  real  state  of  the 
institution,  which  at  that  time  contained  "sixteen 
children,  nine  managers  and  carpenters,  and  seventy- 
five  negroes."  New  plans  were  made  for  its  manage- 
ment ;  her  own  housekeeper  was  sent  out  to  regulate 
its  domestic  economy  ;  Rev.  Mr.  Crosse  was  appointed 
teacher  of  the  school,  and  Mr.  Piercy  made  president 
and  general  agent  of  her  affairs  there.  Meanwhile, 
a  mission  to  North  America  was  projected,  whose 
head-quarters  should  be  at  Bethesda,  from  which  the 
missionaries  could  go  forth  either  to  the  savages  in 
the  forest,  or  among  the  white  men  of  the  colonies, 
wherever  the  providence  of  God  opened  a  way  to 
publish  the  everlasting  gospel. 

Lady  Huntington  addressed  a  letter  to  all  the 
ministers  and  students  in  her  connection,  inviting  a 
general  meeting  at  Trevecca,  in  order  to  consult  to- 
gether and  to  ask  counsel  from  on  high  upon  a  meas- 
ure at  once  so  new  and  so  important.  The  occasion 
proved  to  be  one  of  unusual  interest.  Missionary  zeal 
was  enkindled ;  the  baptism  of  a  self-sacrificing  love 
fell  upon  many  hearts  ;  and  at  the  call,  "  Who  will  go 
for  us  ?  who  will  publish  the  glad  tidings  of  great 
good  in  the  forests  and  frontiers  of  the  new  world  ?" 
the  response  came  from  many  a  youth,  "Here  am  I, 
send  me." 

The  impressive  services  which  attended  the  selec- 
tion and  the  setting  apart  of  the  students  for  the 
North  American  mission,  both  at  Trevecca  and  Tot- 
tenham-court chapel,  and  in  the  open  air  on  Tower 


214 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


hill,  were  witnessed  by  large  numbers  deeply  and 
tenderly  excited  by  the  scene. 

"In  October,  the  missionaries  embarked  on  board 
a  vessel  destined  to  convey  them  to  America,  and 
sailed  from  Blackball  to  G-ravesend.  As  the  moment 
of  their  departure  approached,"  says  one,  "the  pray- 
ers of  thousands  who  felt  themselves  peculiarly  inter- 
ested in  the  arduous,  yet  glorious  undertaking,  became 
more  frequent  and  fervent.  Vast  multitudes  attended 
them  to  the  river's  side,  and  as  soon  as  the  boats  con- 
veyed them  from  the  shore,  every  countenance  was 
suffused  with  tears,  hats  and  handkerchiefs  were  seen 
waving  in  every  direction,  while  prayers  and  wishes 
ascended  like  a  cloud  of  incense  to  the  great  Head  of 
the  church,  commending  them  to  his  merciful  protec- 
tion and  guardian  care.  Such  a  spirit  of  prayer  and 
supplication  was  poured  out  upon  the  people  of  God 
at  this  interesting  period,  as  has  seldom  been  remem- 
bered." 

The  vessel  being  detained  in  the  downs  by  adverse 
winds,  the  missionaries  had  several  opportunities  of 
going  on  shore,  which  they  gladly  improved,  preach- 
ing with  the  fervor  of  men  who  had  given  their 
all  to  the  service  of  their  Lord,  and  setting  the  cur- 
rent of  pious  sympathy  strongly  in  favor  of  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise.  "Nor  was  any  thing  so  blessed," 
said  Lady  Huntington,  "as  the  spirit  in  which  they 
went." 

After  a  six  weeks'  voyage,  the  company  arrived 
safely  in  G-eorgia,  where  they  met  with  a  cordial 
reception  from  Whitefield's  friends  ;  the  orphan-house 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


215 


became  their  head-quarters,  and  never,  perhaps,  did 
so  many  favorable  circumstances  seem  to  conspire  to 
the  happy  furtherance  of  missionary  labor. 

"The  province  of  Georgia,"  Lady  Huntington 
tells  us,  "have  made  proposals  to  build  a  church  at 
their  own  expense  and  present  me  with  it,  that  the 
college  of  G-eorgia  may  have  their  ministry  in  that 
part  honored.  My  last  letters  from  America  inform 
me,  that  our  way  seems  open  to  the  Cherokee  country  ; 
and  in  all  the  back  settlements  we  are  assured  the 
people  will  joyfully  build  us  churches  at  their  own 
expense,  and  present  them  to  us,  to  settle  perpetually 
for  our  use.  Some  great,  very  great  work  is  intended 
by  the  Lord  among  the  heathen.  Should  this  appear, 
I  should  be  rejoiced  to  go  myself  and  establish  a  col- 
lege for  the  Indian  nations.  I  cannot  help  thinking 
that  the  Lord  will  have  me  there  before  I  die,  if  only 
to  make  coats  and  garments  for  the  poor  Indians." 

Thus  hopefully  begun  was  this  enterprise,  thus 
broad  and  buoyant  were  the  expectations  which  fan- 
ned the  ardor  and  guided  the  strength  of  her  who 
stood  at  its  helm,  watching  with  a  keen  eye,  a  rever- 
ent and  earnest  spirit,  the  progress  of  her  richly 
freighted  argosy. 

In  the  midst  of  these  bright  hopes,  tidings  reached 
England  of  the  destruction  of  the  orphan-house  by 
fire.  The  loss  was  great,  and  so  we  may  suppose 
must  have  been  the  disappointment ;  and  yet  what 
does  Lady  Huntington  say  :  "  Though  we  may  be  dis- 
appointed, Grod  the  judge  of  all  is  not  defeated;  all 
things  are  ordered  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own 


216 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


will ;  I  cannot  wish  it  for  one  moment  to  be  other- 
wise." 

From  all  that  can  be  gathered,  Lady  Huntington's 
temporal  affairs  in  Georgia  seem  not  to  have  been 
well  managed.  For  several  years  she  spent  large 
sums  with  few  cheering  results.  The  breaking  out 
of  the  revolutionary  war  threw  every  thing  into  dis- 
order ;  Piercy  returned  to  England,  and  in  1782 
the  estates  were  seized  by  the  Americans,  though  she 
says  her  greatest  losses  were  by  the  king's  troops. 
Collisions  with  the  state  authorities  afterwards  occur- 
red, and  the  establishment  for  orphans  passed  away. 
Thus  closed  the  career  of  an  institution  which  was 
the  cherished  favorite  of  the  religious  public  a  hun- 
dred years  ago. 

The  actual  amount  of  good  accomplished  by  the 
associations  and  institutions  of  pious  men  for  human 
renovation,  cannot  always  be  measured  by  their  out- 
lays, or  their  permanency.  They  are  intended  to  bear 
upon  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  our  Lord ;  and  how 
many  consciences  have  been  pierced,  how  many  bur- 
dens removed,  how  many  souls  saved,  how  many 
prayers  elicited,  how  much  love  enkindled,  how  much 
covetousness  rebuked,  how  much  unbelief  chastized, 
now  much  sloth  removed,  in  a  word,  how  much  train- 
ing for  eternity  has  been  accomplished  through  their 
instrumentality,  we  can  never  fully  know  this  side 
of  the  grave.  The  direct  object  of  their  projectors 
may  not  have  been  as  completely  answered  as  seemed 
desirable  ;  no  large  revenue  of  positive  usefulness  may 
have  been  palpably  gathered  in,  and  to  the  worldly 


DEATH  OF  WHITEFIELD. 


217 


looker-on  only  disappointment  and  defeat  may  seem 
to  reward  our  utmost  painstaking.  But  the  aspect 
of  affairs  is  quite  different  viewed  from  the  Christian 
standpoint.  Here  we  learn,  that  the  one  vital  interest 
of  each  one  of  us  is,  to  do  Grod's  will  and  grow  into  his 
likeness ;  that  it  is  the  hearty  and  humble  desire  to 
glorify  Grod  in  whatever  we  do,  and  not  the  success 
which  may  crown  our  efforts,  which  becomes  the  true 
measure  of  a  well-spent  life. 

We  may  rejoice  and  be  thankful  when  Grod  honors 
us  by  making  us  the  instruments  of  doing  great  things 
for  his  kingdom  here  below  ;  but  we  need  not  be  cast 
down  when,  by  his  providence,  he  sees  fit  to  break 
in  upon  our  most  cherished  plans  for  good.  He  knows 
better  than  we  what  springs  to  touch  and  what  wheels 
to  turn  in  the  mighty  machinery  of  his  moral  govern- 
ment. He  knows  also  what  ordering  is  best  to  fit  us 
for  heaven ;  and  the  humble  and  trusting  spirit,  a 
heart  patiently  waiting  and  loving  its  Saviour's  will 
upon  a  sick-bed,  may  constitute  a  more  perfected  life, 
than  many  a  one  whose  deeds  ring  round  the  world. 


Huntington. 


10 


218 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

VENN  LEAVING  HUDDERSFIELD  — LABORS  OF  LADY 
HUNTINGTON— DEATH  OF  HOWELL  HARRIS,  AND 
LORD  CHESTERFIELD. 

Mr.  Venn  had  now  been  settled  twelve  years  in 
Huddersfield,  and  had  made  full  proof  of  a  blessed 
ministry,  not  only  to  the  people  of  his  particular 
charge,  but  to  many  a  neighboring  hamlet  and  cot- 
ter's home.  The  pastoral  labors  of  this  excellent  man 
were  everywhere  attended  with  marked  success ;  and 
it  is  a  question  of  no  common  interest,  in  these  times 
of  spiritual  barrenness,  what  was  the-  secret  of  his  suc- 
cess, or  what  the  gifts  and  graces  which  secured  to 
him  so  fast  a  hold  upon  the  consciences  and  affections 
of  his  hearers. 

"  Look  upon  your  people,"  he  said  to  his  son 
John,  on  entering  upon  the  sacred  office,  "  as  prisoners 
under  condemnation,  for  whose  pardon  and  recovery 
you  ought  to  feel  as  the  tender  mother  does  for  the 
child  at  her  breast.  Lament  an  unfeeling  heart  in 
yourself  as  well  as  in  them ;  beg  earnestly  that  you 
may  long  after  their  salvation  in  the  bowels  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  And  he  regarded  as  a  qualifica- 
tion of  the  ministry  more  necessary  almost  than  any 
other,  "  a  deep  sense  of  your  own  unworthiness — neces- 
sary to  m#ke  you  speak  with  consciousness  of  your 
poverty  and  ignorance ;  necessary  to  teach  you  how 
to  speak  to  the  weary  and  tempted  soul ;  necessary  to 


VENN  LEAVING-  HUDDERSFIELD.  219 

lay  hold  on  Christ,  and  find  in  him  more  than  all  you 
need,  for  acceptance,  strength,  comfort,  and  useful- 
ness ;  and  necessary  to  make  you  take  pains,  and  give 
yourself  wholly  to  the  work,  that  your  profiting  may 
appear ;"  nor  can  we  doubt  that  this  was  the  transcript 
of  his  own  experience,  leading  him  to  those  labors  of 
love  which  distinguished  and  adorned  his  life. 

Let  us  go  now  among  the  people,  and  hear  what 
mention  they  make  of  the  pastor  and  preacher. 

"  There  was  a  meeting  every  Saturday  night  of 
the  most  pious  people  at  Thomas  Hanson's,  sometimes 
twenty  or  more,  who  sung  and  prayed  together,"  an 
old  parishioner  goes  on  to  say ;  "  and  I  was  first  led  to 
the  Huddersfield  church  by  listening  with  an  uncle  of 
mine  at  the  door  of  the  house  where  the  meeting  was 
held.  "We  thought  there  was  something  uncommon 
to  make  them  so  earnest,  so  we  went  together  to  the 
church  one  Thursday  evening.  There  was  a  great 
crowd  within  the  church — all  silent,  many  weeping. 
The  text  was,  '  Thou  art  laid  in  the  balances,  and  art 
found  wanting.'  "When  we  got  out  of  church,  we  did 
not  say  a  word  to  each  other  till  we  got  some  way 
into  the  fields.  Then  my  uncle  stopped,  leaned  his 
back  against  a  wall,  and  burst  into  tears,  crying  out, 
1 I  can't  stand  this.'  His  convictions  of  sin  from  that 
time  were  most  powerful,  and  he  became  quite  a 
changed  character,  and  a  most  exemplary  person,  as 
people  will  testify.  After  that  sermon  I  could  no 
longer  be  easy  in  sin.  I  began  to  pray  earnestly,  and 
soon  to  seek  salvation  in  earnest.  The  people  used  to 
go  from  Longwood  in  droves  to  Huddersfield  church, 


220 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


three  miles  off;  scores  of  them  came  out  of  church 
together,  whose  ways  home  were  in  this  direction, 
and  they  used  to  stop  at  the  Firs'  End,  a  mile  off, 
and  talk  over  for  some  time  what  they  had  heard.  0, 
that  place  has  been  to  me  like  a  little  heaven  below. 
Never  was  a  minister  like  our  minister.  He  was 
most  powerful  in  unfolding  the  terrors  of  the  law ; 
when  doing  so,  he  had  a  stern  look  that  would  make 
you  tremble  :  then  he  would  turn  off  to  the  offers  of 
grace,  and  begin  to  smile,  and  go  on  entreating  till 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  The  most  wicked  and  ill- 
conditioned  men  went  to  hear  him,  and  they  fell  like 
slaked  lime,  in  a  moment." 

"Always  at  work,"  adds  another,  "he  took  every 
method  of  instructing  his  people,  he  left  nothing 
unturned.  The  lads  he  catechized  used  to  tell  him 
that  people  said  he  was  teaching  a  new  doctrine,  and 
leading  them  into  error ;  but  he  always  replied, 
'  Never  mind  them,  do  not  answer  them ;  read  your 
Bibles  and  press  forward,  dear  lads,  press  forward, 
and  you  cannot  miss  of  heaven.' 

"  Everywhere  were  the  fruits  of  his  ministry. 
Sinners  were  reclaimed,  children  were  trained  in  the 
fear  of  God,  piety  was  quickened,  numbers  were 
added  to  the  people  of  Grod,  the  stated  means  of 
grace  were  diligently  improved,  a  saving  and  healthy 
influence  went  forth  from  the  church,  and  as  a  con- 
sequence, the  Sabbath  was  respected,  sobriety  pre- 
vailed, scoffing  and  infidelity  were  rebuked,  and  good 
morals  began  to  creep  in  among  the  ale-shops." 

Mr.  Venn  was  nearly  fifty,  and  in  the  prime  of  his 


VENN  LEAVING-  HUDDERSFIELD. 


221 


usefulness ;  but  a  tendency  to  consumption  began 
gradually  to  be  developed,  warning  him  to  curtail  his 
labors,  if  not  altogether  to  desist  from  them ;  yet  this 
was  almost  impossible  in  a  parish  as  large  as  that  of 
Huddersfield.  A  summer  journey  did  nox  materially 
benefit  him,  although  we  find  him  preaching  here 
and  there  by  the  way.  Tarrying  a  while  at  Lady 
Huntington's  hospitable  mansion  at  Bath,  the  mourn- 
ful tidings  of  Mr.  AYhitefield's  death  reached  England, 
and  he  undertook  the  sad  and  solemn  task  of  preach- 
ing a  funeral-sermon  at  the  Bath  chapel,  now  bereft 
of  one  of  its  strong  pillars. 

It  was  during,  this  visit  that  Mr.  Venn  received  an 
offer  of  the  curacy  of  Yelling,  a  small  town  about 
twelve  miles  from  Cambridge,  and  every  considera- 
tion of  prudence  urged  him  to  accept  it.  But  to 
leave  Huddersfield,  to  part  from  the  "dearly  loved 
and  longed  for,  his  joy  and  crown,"  the  thought  was 
deeply  afflicting;  and  when  he  accepted  Yelling,  and 
the  decision  was  known  at  Huddersfield,  never  were 
witnessed  sadder  scenes  on  a  like  occasion.  "  How 
can  we  let  thee  go  ?"  was  the  universal  cry,  and  they 
almost  constrained  him  to  tarry  with  them.  During 
the  three  months  succeeding  his  removal,  so  many 
and  so  affecting  were  the  tokens  of  his  people's  love, 
that  Mr.  Yenn  was  in  a  strait  betwixt  two ;  and  when 
he  preached  his  farewell-sermon,  people  flocked  from 
all  parts  to  hear  him,  and  weeping  mothers  held  up 
their  children,  saying,  "  There  is  the  man  who  has 
been  our  most  faithful  minister,  and  our  best  friend." 

"  No  human  being,"  wrote  Yenn  to  Lady  Hunt- 


222  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

ington,  "can  tell  how  keenly  I  feel  this  separation 
from  a  people  I  have  so  dearly  loved ;  your  ladyship 
well  knows  how  much  I  am  attached  to  Huddersfield, 
where  my  poor  lahors  have  been  acknowledged  by 
the  great  Lord  of  the  harvest,  and  where  I  have  en- 
joyed so  much  and  such  near  communion  and  fellow- 
ship with  the  Father  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ ;  but 
the  shattered  state  of  my  health  incapacitates  me  for 
the  care  of  so  large  a  parish.  And  now,  my  dear  lady, 
my  most  faithful  friend,  pray  for  me,  that  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Lord  our  G-od  may  go  with  me,  and  render 
my  feeble  attempts  to  speak  of  his  love  and  mercy 
efficacious  to  the  conversion  of  souls.  At  Yelling,  as 
at  Huddersfield,  I  shall  still  be  your  ladyship's  will- 
ing servant  in  the  service  of  the  gospel ;  and  when  I 
can  be  of  any  service  in  furthering  your  plans  for  the 
salvation  of  souls  and  the  glory  of  Christ,  I  am  your 
obedient  servant  to  command." 

The  parish  of  Yelling  was  thinly  inhabited,  and 
a  congregation  of  twenty  or  thirty  rustics  wore  a  very 
different  aspect  from  the  large  and  intelligently  train- 
ed audience  which  he  used  to  preach  to  ;  "  but  they 
are  remarkably  attentive,"  he  writes  to  Lady  Hunt- 
ington, "  and  seem  to  wonder  very  much  at  my  doc- 
trine and  earnest  manner.  Dear  Mr.  Berridge  has 
been  here,  and  has  preached  for  me.  He  encourages 
me  to  go  into  the  neighboring  parishes,  where  he  has 
preached  occasionally,  and  I  have  already  had  several 
congregations  in  barns  and  other  places,  where  I  hope 
good  has  been  done.  Your  ladyship  would  enjoy  the 
sight  of  one  of  these  rustic  assemblies,  and  the  avidity 


VENN  LEAVING-  HUDDERSFIELD.  223 

with  which  they  drink  in,  as  it  were,  every  expression 
that  falls  from  my  lips.  Souls  are  perishing  in  every 
direction  around  me,  but  I  have  not  strength  to  go 
forth  as  I  once  did.  I  long  to  see  your  ladyship,  and 
to  hear  once  more  the  many  precious  things  from 
your  lips  which  invigorated  my  dead  soul,  and  gave 
me  such  vehement  desires  in  times  past.  Oh,  pray 
that  I  may  be  animated  with  a  burning  desire  to 
spread  the  glorious  gospel  of  my  precious  Lord  and 
Master,  and  be  content  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  a 
cause  so  divine." 

We  are  left  in  no  doubt  what  it  was  that  gave 
such  transforming  power  to  the  pastoral  ministrations 
of  this  man  of  Grod.  He  felt  the  truth  and  reality 
of  redemption.  "  What  an  unspeakable  mercy,"  he 
exclaims  with  admiring  gratitude,  "to  be  rescued 
from  the  bondage  of  sin,  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  Grod, 
to  behold  the  glory  of  Grod,  to  feel  his  support,  his 
protection,  and  his  victorious  arm  stretched  out  in  our 
behalf  ;  and  thus  to  walk  ivith  him  on  earth,  and 
endure  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible.  This  is  a 
hard  work — at  least,  I  find  it  so ;  but  this  is  our 
daily  business,  together  with  that  of  our  particular 
calling.  Against  this  walk  with  our  Grod,  the  com- 
pany of  three  armies  as  it  were,  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  Satan,  fight  continually ;  but  let  us  not  be  dis- 
couraged, for  this  is  our  consolation:  1  The  Lord  will 
ffive  strength  unto  his  people  ;  the  Lord  will  bless  his 
people  with  peace.' "  Is  not  the  life  of  such  a  man 
a  fresh  witness  of  the  power  and  excellency  of  divine 
truth  ?   Mr.  Yenn  removed  to  Yelling  in  1771. 


224 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Meanwhile  the  unquenchable  zeal  of  Lady  Hunt- 
ington found  many  outlets  through  the  labors  of  her 
students,  who  now  began  to  traverse  every  part  of  the 
kingdom,  bravely  and  vigilantly  carrying  on  a  guerilla 
warfare  with  the  powers  of  sin  and  Satan.  They  went 
into  the  highways  and  hedges,  preaching  and  teach- 
ing with  apostolic  fidelity,  and  whenever  the  weather 
was  favorable  "using  a  table  for  a  pulpit  and  the 
canopy  of  the  heavens  for  a  sounding-board,  and 
ever  beseeching  the  Lord  Jesus  to  preside  over  their 
assemblies." 

"  And  it  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the 
present  students  to  do  this  everywhere,"  Lady  Hunt- 
ington tells  us  ;  "  the  gift  of  awakening  seems  much 
continued  to  our  plan  and  work  ;  the  spread  is  aston- 
ishing ;  the  college  does  not  yet  fill  equal  to  our  calls, 
but  the  fewer  the  more  useful:  they  appear  like 
Grideon's  army." 

At  one  time  we  hear  of  a  congregation  of  fifteen 
hundred  poor  colliers  and  nailers.  At  another,  of 
ten  thousand  in  a  large,  deep  hollow ;  and  Lady 
Huntington  herself  is  at  Cornwall,  saying,  "  My  call 
here  is  to  the  tinners,  and  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  poor  perishing  creatures,  whom  all  seem 
to  neglect ;  their  souls  are  the  object  of  my  loving 
care,  and  if  the  Lord  permit,  I  wish  to  make  three 
or  four  establishments  in  the  heart  of  the  tin  mines, 
for  their  instruction  and  salvation." 

She  passed  much  time  at  Trevecca,  her  "  beloved 
retreat,"  as  she  called  it,  secluded  as  it  was  from  the 
clamor  and  strife  of  the  world,  yet  animated  with  the 


HER  CHAPELS 


225 


generous  impulses  and  devotional  ardor  of  a  band  of 
pious  youth,  ready,  through  evil  and  through  good 
report,  to  bear  witness  for  their  Lord.  Here  she  main- 
tained an  extensive  correspondence  with  her  numer- 
ous friends,  preachers,  and  various  people  connected 
by  business  with  her  different  departments  of  relig- 
ious effort.  Indeed,  the  management  of  her  business 
required  the  time,  attention,  and  energy  of  no  com- 
mon man;  and  yet  she  entered  into  its  details  and 
encountered  its  perplexities  with  a  courage  and  pa- 
tience which  neither  age  or  infirmities  could  long 
damp,  and  which  they  could  never  destroy. 

We  now  find  her  travelling  in  different  counties, 
following  up  with  her  presence  the  labors  of  her 
missionaries,  inspecting  her  chapels,  investigating  the 
doings  of  trustees  and  committees,  regulating  sala- 
ries, directing  funds,  counselling,  controlling,  and  en- 
couraging, with  an  unspent  force  of  mind  which  was 
marvellous  to  behold. 

A  letter  to  one  of  her  committees  having  the 
charge  of  a  chapel,  may  serve  to  show  the  kind  and 
amount  of  her  labors,  as  well  as  the  faith  which  sus- 
tained her  amid  the  greatest  discouragements  and 
perplexities. 

"My  worthy  Friends — You  must  allow  me  to 
assure  you  that  the  pleasure  I  had  in  reading  the 
conclusion  of  your  letter  did  abundantly  outweigh 
those  many  complaints,  and  I  hope  needless  fears, 
which  our  gracious  Lord  is  forced  to  try  us  by,  and 
that  in  order  that  we  may  see  the  only  hand  worthy 
10* 


226 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


to  expect  our  blessing  from,  and  yield  him  all  the 
praise.  More  I  want  not,  than  to  find  our  Lord  own 
our  assemblies  as  his.  No  good  thing  shall  he  with- 
held while  the  Lord  of  hosts  remains  the  tender  Father 
of  us  his  Israel,  and  will  afford  us  our  meat  in  due 
season. 

"I  lament  a  complaint  should  come  on  Mr.  Tay- 
lor's account,  and  have  sent  a  direction  to  provide  for 
him  from  my  own  property,  as  no  collection  can  he 
had  at  Tunbridge  "Wells,  owing  to  the  great  poverty 
of  the  people.  The  income  of  an  estate  of  mine  has 
ever  been  freely  given  to  support  the  gospel  in  that 
part  of  Kent,  with  an  allowance  for  the  winter  food 
of  a  student,  as  no  minister  can  pay  this  out  of  what 
is  received.  Mr.  Taylor  cannot  have  more  for  his 
support  for  four  months  there,  than  is  allowed  through 
all  the  churches ;  and  in  case  of  his  absence,  a  min- 
ister is  to  be  boarded  by  him,  as  is  the  student,  sup- 
ported in  part  by  the  people,  all  the  winter.  The 
purpose  that  is  intended  bears  no  proportion  of  diffi- 
culty to  me,  who  only  am  the  responsible  person  for 
the  debts  and  deficiencies  that  may  arise  on  the 
chapel.  I  am  still  willing  to  trust  my  dear  and 
faithful  Master ;  he  has  ever  dealt  kindly  by  his  poor 
old  worthless  servant,  and  I  do  not  find  that  I  want 
a  better  bank  to  maintain  food  and  raiment  for  me, 
or  those  proper  and  just  supplies  he  shall  afford  for 
his  various  little  households,  which  he  orders  or  may 
order  for  my  ignorant  care  of  them.  As  to  the  min- 
ister's board,  your  allowance  of  two  guineas  a  week 
just  comes  to  what  you  have  stated. 


HER  CHAPELS 


227 


"  As  to  a  reader,  we  have  no  such  example  among 
us.  The  Gardens  have  one  for  the  sake  of  the  pray- 
ers when  a  student  preaches,  but  no  one  minister  has" 
ever  had  a  single  difficulty ;  and  it  appears  to  me, 
allowing  the  minister  ten  guineas  who  stays  a  quar- 
ter with  you,  to  find  a  reader  if  he  likes,  will  he  less 
expense  than  the  burden  of  regularly  maintaining 
one.  Many  choose  to  read  the  prayers,  and  I  must 
say  the  air  of  superiority  and  importance  thus  mani- 
fested has  not  that  simplicity  that  means  neither 
show  or  parade.  The  more  apostolic  we  are  the  bet- 
ter ;  and  I  must  say,  as  a  most  remarkable  blessing, 
I  know  of  none  anxious  or  discontented  among  us, 
even  when  it  might  have  been  justly  excused,  seeing 
myself  unable  to  do  what  my  heart  so  much  desired. 
My  best  advice  to  you  is,  to  be  wisely  cautious  upon 
this  point ;  and  either  collections  or  private  subscrip- 
tions from  honest  and  devoted  hearts,  privately  ap- 
plied to  for  this  purpose,  as  a  little  loan  to  the  Lord, 
and  not  necessity,  will  go* further  to  bless  such  means 
than  the  many  affected  shows  supposed  liberality 
wears.  I  am  sure  you  expect  a  faithful  answer  from 
me,  and  'such  as  I  have  give  I  unto  you'  all.  Do 
not  be  careful  about  the  household  stuff ;  my  dear 
Master  will  not  let  me  want  table  or  chairs.  You 
sea  where  all  my  cares  are  cast.  Commending  your 
gracious  labors  to  Him  whose  faithful  and  tender  eye 
is  ever  over  you,  I  remain,  my  worthy  friends,  your 
faithful,  willing,  and  ever  ready  friend  and  devoted 
servant, 

"S.  HUNTINGTON." 


228  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 

This  was  addressed  to  the  committee  of  one  of  her 
London  chapels,  several  of  which  she  had  erected  or 
hired  for  the  accommodation  of  the  poorer  flocks,  who 
without  them  had  been  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 

The  second  of  her  London  efforts  was  the  renting 
of  a  large  building  in  Princes-street,  Westminster, 
which  she  repaired  and  enlarged,  with  the  aid  will- 
ingly rendered  to  her  by  some  of  her  wealthy  friends 
interested  in  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  For  some 
time  this  chapel  was  supplied  by  ministers  from  the 
established  church,  among  whom  we  find  the  name 
of  Toplady,  a  name  familiar  to  the  lovers  of  lyrical 
poetry.  "  The  congregation  is  very  numerous,"  she 
tells  us,  "  and  many  of  the  mighty  and  noble,  as  well 
as  the  poor,  gladly  hear  the  word,  to  some  of  whom 
it  has  proved  the  savor  of  life." 

The  next  in  succession  was  the  Mulberry  Gar- 
dens chapel,  fitted  up  in  a  tasteful  and  elegant  man- 
ner, and  opened  according  to  the  forms  of  the  church 
of  England.  The  labors  of  its  ministers  gave  great 
offence  to  many  in  the  neighborhood,  who,  alarmed  at 
their  popularity,  and  shamed  by  their  diligence,  en- 
deavored to  silence  them  by  various  acts  of  persecution. 
These  efforts  were  fruitless ;  great  success  attended 
their  ministrations,  owned  and  blessed  as  they  were 
by  the  great  Head  of  the  church. 

In  1773,  Lady  Huntington  lost  two  friends  with 
whom  she  had  been  long  and  differently  associated. 
"  That  indefatigable  servant  of  Grod,  Howell  Har- 
ris, fell  aslsep  in  Jesus  last  week,"  she  writes  to 
Romaine.  t  "  When  he  was  confined  to  his  bed,  and 


DEATH  OF  HOWELL  HARRIS.  229 

could  no  longer  preach  or  exhort,  he  said,  '  Blessed 
be  Grod,  my  work  is  done,  and  I  know  that  I  am 
going  to  my  Grod  and  Father,  for  he  hath  my  heart, 
yea,  my  whole  heart.  Glory  be  to  G-od,  death  hath 
no  sting — all  is  well ;'  and  thus  this  good  man  went 
home  to  his  rest. 

"It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  grief  which  is 
awakened  everywhere  by  the  tidings  of  his  death,  he 
was  so  beloved  as  the  spiritual  father  of  multitudes. 
Truly  his  loss  is  felt  at  the  college,  where  many  were 
awakened  by  his  lively  ministry.  The  last  time  he- 
•preached  at  college,  he  spoke  with  a  mighty  sense  of 
Grod,  eternity,  and  immortality;  and  when  he  came 
to  the  application,  he  addressed  himself  to  the  audi- 
ence in  such  a  tender,  earnest,  and  moving  manner, 
exhorting  us  to  come  and  be  acquainted  with  the 
dear  Redeemer,  as  melted  the  assembly  into  tears. 

"  On  the  day  of  his  interment,  we  had  some  spe- 
cial seasons  of  divine  influence,  both  upon  converted 
and  unconverted.  No  fewer  than  twenty  thousand 
persons  were  assembled,  and  we  had  abundance  of 
students  in  the  college,  and  all  the  ministers  and 
exhorters,  who  collected  from  various  parts  to  pay 
their  last  tribute  to  his  remains.  We  had  three  stages 
erected,  and  nine  sermons  addressed  to  the  vast  mul- 
titudes, hundreds  of  whom  were  dissolved  in  tears. 
Fifteen  clergymen  were  present,  six  of  whom  blew 
the  gospel  trumpet  with  great  power  and  freedom. 
Though  we  had  enjoyed  much  of  the  gracious  pres- 
ence of  G-od  in  our  assemblies  before,  yet  I  never  saw 
so  much  at  any  one  time  as  on  that  day,  especially 


230 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


when  the  Lord's  supper  was  administered.  G-od 
poured  out  his  Spirit  in  a  wonderful  manner.  Many- 
old  Christians  told  me  they  never  had  seen  so  much 
of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  riches  of  his  grace, 
nor  felt  so  much  of  the  power  of  the  gospel  before. 

"  I  hope  soon  to  open  a  chapel  in  "Worcester. 
Lincolnshire  and  Kent  promise  great  things.  Lady 
Fanny  Shirley  has  frequent  meetings  at  her  house  in 
Bath,  where  the  nobility  attend.  The  work  spreads 
amazingly  in  Gloucestershire. 

"  When  you  have  a  little  leisure,  Mr.  Shirley  will 
be  glad  of  your  assistance  in  Brighton.  Mr.  Venn  is 
now  at  Oathall.  I  expect  here,  in  a  month,  also  Mr. 
Toplady  and  Mr.  Berridge." 

In  contrast  with  the  death  of  Howell  Harris 
stands  that  of  Lord  Chesterfield,  which  occurred  a 
few  months  afterwards.  He  had  been  the  early 
friend  and  companion  of  Earl  Huntington;  after 
whose  death,  he  seems  always  to  have  remained  on 
a  friendly  footing  with  the  countess.  Towards  the 
young  earl  we  find  him  acting  as  towards  an  adopted 
son,  a  circumstance  which  Lady  Huntington  is  pre- 
sumed not  to  have  been  able  to  control,  and  which 
must  have  occasioned  her  no  little  sorrow.  His  scep- 
ticism and  profligacy  did  not  prevent  him  from  fre- 
quently attending  on  the  ministrations  of  "Whitefield, 
whose  eloquence  he  greatly  admired,  and  at  Lady 
Huntington's  solicitations,  he  often  contributed  to  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

"  Really  there  is  no  resisting  your  ladyship's 
importunities,"  he  once  replied  to  her:  "it  would  ill 


DEATH  OF  LORD  CHESTERFIELD.  231 

become  me  to  censure  your  enthusiastic  admiration 
of  Mr.  Whitefield;  his  eloquence  is  unrivalled,  his 
zeal  inexhaustible,  and  not  to  admire  both  would 
argue  a  total  absence  of  taste,  and  an  insensibility 
not  to  be  coveted  by  any  body.  Your  ladyship  is  a 
powerful  auxiliary  to  the  Methodist  cabinet ;  and  I 
confess,  notwithstanding  my  own  private  feelings  and 
sentiments,  I  am  infinitely  pleased  at  your  zeal  in  so 
good  a  cause.  You  must  have  twenty  pounds  for 
this  new  tabernacle,  but  I  must  beg  my  name  not 
to  appear  in  any  way." 

And  it  was  unto  him  according  to  his  desires ;  his 
name  was  never  enrolled  among  those  who  loved  their 
Lord,  while  his  corrupt  principles  and  maxims  are 
handed  down  to  us  in  a  volume  of  "  Letters  to  his 
Son,"  a  book  which  illustrates  the  well-known,  yet 
often  to  be  repeated  lesson,  that  bright  talents  can 
make  no  amends  for  bad  morals.  "  Death,"  he  de- 
clared to  be  "  a  leap  in  the  dark,"  and  dark  and  dread- 
ful did  he  find  the  leap  to  be.  As  the  pains  of  dis- 
solving nature  increased  upon  him,  and  human  help 
was  vain,  his  cold  and  mocking  scepticism  could  offer 
neither  present  alleviations  nor  future  hope.  "  The 
blackness  of  darkness,  accompanied  by  every  gloomy 
horror,  thickened  most  awfully  around  his  dying 
moments,"  says  Lady  Huntington,  who  vainly  tried  to 
administer  the  only  consolation  which  could  avail. 

Far  different  was  the  impression  which  Lady  Fan- 
ny Shirley  on  her  sick-bed  made  upon  the  surrounding 
attendants.  Once,  as  a  reigning  beauty  at  court, 
Chesterfield  had  addressed  to  her  some  of  his  most 


232 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


famous  epigrams ;  since  then,  she  had  chosen  that 
better  part  which  could  never  be  taken  from  her. 

"  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  explain  how  Lady  Fanny 
is  enabled  to  bear  such  a  severity  of  suffering  with  so 
much  tranquillity,  and  so  few  symptoms  of  restless- 
ness and  murmuring,"  said  her  physician  to  Mr. 
Venn ;  "  can  you  account  for  it,  sir  ?" 

"Sir,"  answered  Venn,  "that  lady  happily  pos- 
sesses what  you  and  I  ought  daily  to  pray  for,  the 
grace  of  her  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Grhost."  "What  supports 
are  these  !  After  Lord  Chesterfield's  death,  Rowland 
Hill  became  chaplain  to  his  lady. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1775,  Lady  Hunt- 
ington is  at  Bath,  preparing  for  the  opening  of  her 
chapel  in  Bristol.  "  Opening  a  chapel  in  Chichester, 
with  the  business  which  arises  from  the  amazing  in- 
crease of  our  work,  allows  me  little  time  to  indulge 
myself  even  in  that  of  more  constant  intercourse  with 
my  friends,"  she  says,  and  we  may  well  conclude 
she  allows  no  hinderances  to  stop  her,  for  four  new 
chapels  are  opened  this  year  in  different  parts  of  the 
kingdom. 

Some  misunderstanding  having  arisen  between 
Lady  Huntington  and  the  trustees  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, Berridge,  on  his  annual  visit  to  the  metropolis, 
inquired  into  its  origin,  and  thus  discourses  to  her 
ladyship  : 

"  My  dear  Lady — Mrs.  Carteret  tells  me  I  owe  you 
a  letter,  and  your  ladyship  might  tell  Mrs.  Carteret  I 


LETTER  FROM  BE RRIDG-E . 


233 


owe  you  much  love,  which  will  ever  be  paying,  I 
trust,  and  never  be  paid.  Demands  on  this  score,  if 
honestly  made,  are  always  welcome  ;  and  if  roguishly 
practised,  are  quickly  forgiven.  For  who  ever  thought 
of  hanging  a  love  thief,  except  a  disappointed  lover  ? 
A  miser,  who  cannot  open  the  string  of  his  purse 
without  pain,  can  part  with  the  string  of  his  heart 
freely  to  a  bountiful  friend  ;  and  the  favors  you  have 
thown  me  call  out  for  more  than  one  heartstring — a 
dozen,  at  least. 

"'Well,  well,  enough  of  this,'  you  say;  'but 
what  have  you  seen  or  heard  at  London?  As  you 
are  an  old  fellow  with  a  prattling  tongue,  I  shall 
expect  a  long  history,  but  let  it  be  a  faithful  one.' 
Indeed,  my  Lady,  I  have  seen  and  heard  some  things 
to  please  me,  and  some  things'  to  grieve  me.  I  have 
seen  the  Tabernacle  temple  well  crowded  with  atten- 
tive hearers,  which  has  cheered  my  heart ;  but  the 
Tabernacle  house  deserted  by  your  students,  which 
has  grieved  my  spirit.  Upon  asking  the  cause,  I 
was  told  the  trustees  were  suspected  of  a  design  on 
your  Mulberry  Gardens.  What  has  occasioned  that 
suspicion  I  know  not,  but  I  well  know  they  had  no 
more  desire  to  steal  your  mulberries,  than  to  steal  my 
teeth;  and  I  believe  the  profit  of  the  mulberries,  if 
that  base  thing  had  been  in  view,  would  no  more 
enable  them  to  buy  a  crust,  than  my  old  teeth  would 
enable  them  to  bite  it.  When  the  yearly  accounts 
of  the  two  chapels  are  made  up,  I  know  they  are 
sometimes  below  par,  and  have  seldom  £20  in  hand ; 
and  the  Mulberry  Gardens,  if  under  their  manage- 


234 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


ment,  were  not  likely  to  produce  any  other  gain  be- 
sides trouble.  Indeed,  my  Lady,  I  am  well  satisfied 
that  the  trustees  have  been  your  hearty  friends  and 
faithful  servants,  and  am  sorry  to  find  they  are  much 
offended  at  your  suspicions.  Could  I  discern  lucra- 
tive views  in  them,  as  much  as  I  love  the  Tabernacle — 
that  old  beehive,  which  has  filled  many  hives  with 
her  swarms — I  would  visit  her  no  longer.  But  the 
more  I  know  of  the  trustees,  the  more  I  am  confirmed 
of  their  integrity,  which  they  will  give  a  proof  of 
shortly  by  adopting  Dr.  Ford  as  a  third  trustee. 

"  Well,  now  I  am  prattling,  I  must  even  prattle 
on ;  an  old  man's  tongue  is  like  a  'larum — when  it 
sets  off,  though  teazing  enough,  it  will  run  down. 
But  you  cry,  1  No  more  griefs,  pray,  Mr.  Grievous, 
unless  you  intend  to  set  me  a  yawning.'  Indeed,  my 
Lady,  I  have  another,  and  beg  you  would  seal  up 
your  lips  to  prevent  yawning,  if  that  is  indecent  out 
of  a  church.  I  am  told,  and  simply  tell  you  my 
tale,  that  since  the  trustees  were  dismissed  your  ser- 
vice, you  have  taken  a  Tory  ministry,  are  growing 
sadly  churchified,  and  seem  to  walk  with  a  steeple 
on  your  head,  newly  sprung  up,  but  pointing  very 
high.  As  to  the  steeple,  I  heed  it  not ;  a  smart 
heavenly  breeze  will  soon  blow  that  down ;  but  I  can- 
not be  reconciled,  like  some  of  my  brethren,  to  a  Tory 
ministry  and  a  church-wall  spirit.  I  regard  neither 
high-church  nor  low-church,  nor  any  church  but  the 
church  of  Christ,  which  is  not  built  with  hands,  nor 
circumscribed  within  peculiar  walls,  nor  confined  to  a 
*  singular  denomination.    I  cordially  approve  the  doc- 


LETTER  FROM  BERRIDG-E. 


235 


trines  and  liturgy  of  the  church  of  England,  and 
have  cause  to  bless  Grod  for  a  church  house  to  preach 
in,  and  a  church  revenue  to  live  on.  And  I  could 
wish  the  gospel  might  not  only  he  preached  in  all 
the  British  churches,  but  established  therein  by 
Christ's  Spirit,  as  well  as  by  a  national  statute ;  but 
from  the  principles  of  the  clergy  and  the  leading 
men  in  the  nation,  which  are  growing  continually 
more  unscriptural  and  licentious,  I  do  fear  our  de- 
fence is  departing,  and  the  glory  is  removing  from 
our  Israel.  Perhaps  in  less  than  one  hundred  years  to 
come  the  church  lands  may  be  seized  on  to  hedge 
up  government  gaps,  as  the  abbey  lands  were  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 

"  But  you  say  the  Lord  is  sending  many  gospel 
laborers  into  the  church.  True  ;  and  with  a  view, 
I  think,  of  calling  his  people  out  of  it.  Because, 
when  such  ministers  are  removed  by  death,  or  trans- 
ported to  another  vineyard,  I  see  no  fresh  gospel 
laborer  succeed  them,  which  obliges  the  forsaken 
flocks  to  fly  to  a  meeting.  And  what  else  can  they 
do  ?  If  they  have  tasted  of  manna  and  hunger  for 
it,  they  cannot  feed  on  heathen  chafT,  nor  yet  on 
legal  crusts,  though  baked  by  some  stanch  Pharisee 
quite  up  to  perfection.  What  has  become  of  Mr. 
Venn's  Yorkshire  flock,  what  will  become  of  his  Yel- 
ling flock,  or  of  my  flocks,  at  our  decease  ?  Or  what 
will  become  of  your  students  at  your  removal  ?  They 
are  virtual  dissenters  now,  and  will  be  settled  dis- 
senters then.  And  the  same  will  happen  to  many, 
perhaps  most  of  Mr.  Wesley's  preachers,  at  his  death. 


236 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


He  rules  like  a  real  Alexander,  and  is  now  stepping 
forth  with  a  flaming  torch ;  but  we  do  not  read  in 
history  of  two  Alexander's  succeeding  each  other. 

"  But  you  reply,  '  Some  of  my  best  preachers 
leave  me  in  my  lifetime.'  Perhaps  they  may ;  and 
if  I  may  judge  of  your  feelings  by  my  own  on  such 
occasions,  this  must  grieve  you,  on  the  first  view  at 
least ;  but  wait  and  see  whether  the  Lord's  hand  be 
not  in  it.  I  dare  not  commend  Barnabas  for  his  abrupt 
departure  from  Paul ;  yet  it  might  be  permitted, 
with  a  view  of  sending  him  to  Cyprus.  The  Lord 
can,  and  often  does  make  the  wrath  of  man,  or  the 
foolishness  of  man,  turn  to  his  praise.  However, 
it  is  good  for  us,  I  know,  to  have  our  well-meant 
views  frequently  perplexed  and-  overturned,  else  we 
might  grow  headstrong,  and  fancy  ourselves  wise 
enough  to  be  the  Lord's  privy-councillors,  yea,  able 
to  outcounsel  him.  We  had  rather  sit  with  Jesus 
at  the  council-board  than  follow  him  with  a  string  on 
our  nose,  to  turn  us  round,  or  turn  us  back,  at  his 
pleasure.  Some  years  ago,  two  of  my  lay-preachers 
deserted  their  ranks  and  joined  the  dissenters.  This 
threw  me  into  a  violent  fit  of  the  spleen,  and  set  me 
a  coughing  and  barking  exceedingly  ;  but  when  the 
phlegm  was  come  up,  and  leisure  allowed  for  calm 
thought,  I  did  humbly  conceive  the  Lord  Jesus  might 
be  wiser  than  the  old  vicar,  and  did  well  in  send- 
ing some  preachers  from  the  Methodist  mint  among 
the  dissenters,  to  revive  a  drooping  cause,  and  set  old 
crippled  pilgrims  on  their  legs  again.  Nay,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  some  of  these  deserting  preachers  have  not 


LETTER  FROM  BERRIDGE. 


237 


only  quickened  the  Chelsea  invalids,  but  raised  up 
new  and  vigorous  recruits  for  the  King's  service.  Be 
glad,  therefore,  my  Lady,  to  promote  the  Lord's  cause 
in  any  way — in  your  own  line,  if  it  may  be ;  in  an- 
other line,  if  it  must  be.  If  your  preachers  abide  with 
you  and  are  valiant  for  the  truth,  it  is  well ;  if  they 
depart,  let  them  depart,  and  rejoice  you  have  been 
instrumental  in  sending  them  forth.  If  a  lively 
preacher  goes,  he  will  prove  a  live  coal  among  dying 
embers ;  if  a  dead  one  departs,  he  is  buried  out  of 
your  sight. 

"Paul  tells  me  in  one  place,  'All  in  Asia  are 
turned  aside  from  me ;'  and  in  another,  he  says, 
'  Some  preached  Christ  out  of  envy  and  strife,'  out  of 
envy  and  opposition  to  him ;  yet  he  adds,  '  What 
then  ?  Every  way  Christ  is  preached  ;  and  therein 
I  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice.'  Here  is  a  pat- 
tern for  our  imitation.  However  rusty  or  rickety 
the  dissenters  may  appear  to  you,  Grod  hath  his  rem- 
nant among  them  ;  therefore  lift  not  up  your  hand 
against  them  for  the  Lord's  sake,  nor  yet  for  con- 
sistency's sake,  because  your  students  are  as  real 
dissenting  preachers  as  any  in  the  land,  unless  a 
gown  and  band  can  make  a  clergyman.  The  bishops 
look  on  your  students  as. the  worst  kind  of  dissenters; 
and  manifest  this  by  refusing  that  ordination  to  your 
preachers  which  would  be  readily  granted  to  other 
teachers  among  the  dissenters. 

"  When  I  consider  that  the  doctrines  of  grace  are 
a  common  offence  to  the  clergy,  and  the  Bible  itself 
a  fulsome  nuisance  to  the  great  vulgar — that  power- 


238 


LADY  HUNTING-TOH 


ful  efforts  have  been  made  to  eject  the  gospel  doc- 
trines out  of  the  church,  and  the  likelihood  there  is, 
from  the  nation's  infidelity,  of  a  future  attempt  suc- 
ceeding, there  is  room  to  fear,  when  the  church  doc- 
trines are  banished  the  church  by  a  national  act, 
Jesus  will  utterly  remove  the  candlestick,  and  take  s 
away  his  church  bread  from  those  hirelings  who  eat 
it  and  lift  up  the  heel  against  him. 

"  So  you  are  whispering  to  Lady  Anne,  '  This 
old  vicar  is  very  tedious,  and  growing  pedantic  too. 
He  would  fain  turn  a  seer,  and  has  not  wit  enough  for 
a  common  conjurer  or  a  strolling  fortune-teller ;  but  he 
is  often  eaten  up  with  the  vapors,  poor  man,  and  I  must 
excuse  him.'  Indeed,  I  am  not  ivhoUy  eaten  up  with 
the  vapors,  and  cannot  be,  because  I  am  much  eaten 
up  aforehand  with  esteem  for  your  Ladyship.  I  know 
your  zeal  for  the  Master's  honor,  and  for  the  prosperity 
of  his  Zion,  which  must  endear  you  to  every  honest- 
hearted  pilgrim.  The  good  Shepherd  be  your  guide 
and  guard ;  may  his  cloud  direct  all  your  motions,  and 
distil  a  gracious  dew  upon  yourself,  and  upon  your 
students.  Please  to  present  my  respects  to  Lady 
Anne  and  Miss  Orton;  and  believe  me  to  remain  your 
hearty  well-wisher  and  affectionate  servant, 

"  JOHN  BERPJDGE." 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING. 


239 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING-. 

Hitherto  we  have  been  occupied  chiefly  with  the 
public  labors  of  these  servants  of  Grod  in  the  great 
awakening.  Scepticism  had  fled  away  before  the 
keen  edge  of  the  truths  which  they  wielded;  and 
mere  nominal  Christianity  acknowledged  its  weak- 
ness ;  while  vice  and  degradation  had  yielded  to  the 
only  power  which  could  heal  and  save.  But  there 
was  something  in  their  influence  more  positive  still : 
everywhere  their  presence  infused  a  new  and  holier 
life,  whose  gentle  charities  distilled  like  dew  upon 
English  homes,  endearing  the  tie  of  husband  and 
wife,  parents  and  children,  and  making  the  family  a 
household  of  faith,  "  abounding  in  love  towards  one 
another,  and  towards  all  men."  Let  us  behold  these 
fruits  of  piety  as  they  grow  in  1  'social  sweetness"  in 
the  rectory  of  Yelling. 

At  the  time  of  his  removal  from  Huddersfield, 
Mr.  Venn  was  a  widower  with  five  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom  was  but  thirteen.  Soon  afterwards, 
he  formed  an  engagement  with  an  old  and  valued 
friend,  to  whom  he  thus  wrote  shortly  before'  their 
marriage. 

"  Long  was  I  very  backward  to  think  of  entering 
again  into  the  married  state,  though  so  blessed  in  my 


240 


LADY  HUNTING-TON . 


first  connection ;  but  the  gracious  God  whom  I  serve, 
iin  1  whose  I  am,  has  provided  for  me  one  of  his  own 
elect.  I  begin  to  feel  more  concern  than  I  at  first 
did,  lest  my  children  should  give  you  trouble  ;  for  just 
ID  the  same  proportion  as  I  love  and  value  you,  I 
must  feel  any  thing  that  in  any  degree  may  affect 
you.  And  I  say  to  myself,  '  How  should  I  be  able  to 
bear  seeing  my  dear  wife  in  tears,  or  void  of  her  sweet 
cheerfulness  and  vivacity  of  spirit  by  any  of  my 
children,  to  whom  she  has  so  kindly  shown  herself  a 
friend  indeed.'  I  hope  it  will  not  be  so  ;  and  if  prayer 
can  avail  to  prevent  such  a  trial  coming  upon  her, 
she  will  never  experience  any  sorrow  on  my  account, 
or  those  belonging  to  me,  but  by  our  departure. 

"  You  may  remember  how  pleasantly  you  said 
Hogarth  would  describe  our  courtship.  In  what  light 
would  the  world  regard  my  letters  ?  Strange  love-let- 
ters indeed  !  0,  did  they  but  know  how  much  more 
blessed  are  the  faithful  in  Christ,  in  every  relation  of 
life,  than  themselves,  the  love  of  present  enjoyment 
would  make  them  converts  to  the  faith.  But  all  this 
is  hid  from  their  eyes.  They  cannot  understand  how 
a  solid  acquaintance  with  a  crucified  Saviour  diffuses 
an  influence  through  the  whole  life,  and  renders  the 
husband,  the  wife,  the  father,  the  master,  the  servant, 
the  child,  the  friend  a  very  different  creature,  and  far 
more  excellent  than  what  he  would  otherwise  be." 

At  the  marriage  his  scattered  household  reassem- 
bled  around  him,  and  he  exclaims,  "We  are  all  now 
under  one  roof.  Important  and  awful  connection ; 
which  I  wish  -and  pray  may  be  more  and  more 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING-.         ^  241 

imprinted  upon  my  mind.  How  contrary  to  nature, 
to  consider  our  nearest  relatives  in  this  light,  and  to 
say  often  and  solemnly,  my  father  or  mother,  hus- 
band or  wife,  children  or  servants  are  the  very  per- 
sons with  whom,  as  I  have  the  most  to  do,  so  shall  I 
have  the  most  to  answer  for.  With  what  circum- 
spection, with  what  zeal,  with  what  tenderness  of 
love,  should  we  do  good,  and  edify  and  comfort  one 
another." 

Mr.  Yenn  accepted  Yelling  as  a  "  providential 
retreat,"  where,  though  shattered  in  health,  he  might 
scatter  a  few  more  seeds,  and  gather  a  little  harvest 
for  the  Lord  of  glory;  but  if  not  rest,  freedom  from 
the  manifold  cares  and  excitements  of  a  large  parish, 
seems  to  have  been  just  what  he  most  needed.  His 
health  gradually  improved,  and  the  strength  he  was 
praying  for  so  many  years  before  he  left  Yorkshire, 
was  vouchsafed  to  him  at  Yelling. 

"  Week  after  week  passes,"  he  says  again,  "  and 
except  on  a  Sunday,  we  see  nothing  but  trees  and 
sheep,  and  a  peasant  or  two  passing  over  the  field; 
yet  I  am  quite  joyous,  and  solitude  is  to  the  full  as 
delicious  as  it  used  to  be  twenty  years  ago  at  Clap- 
ham  ;  yet  as  the  Swiss  have  a  certain  longing 
which  comes  over  them  at  times  to  see  their  own 
country  again,  I  feel  something  of  this  towards  Hud- 
dersfield." 

"You  tell  me  you  have  no  idea  how  we  go  on," 
he  writes  to  a  friend.  "Take  the  following  sketch: 
I  am  up,  one  of  the  first  in  the  house,  soon  after  five  ; 
and  when  prayer  and  reading  the  blessed  word  is 

11 


242  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

• 

done,  my  daughters  make  their  appearance,  and  t 
teach  them  until  Mrs.  Venn  comes  down  at  half  past 
eight.  Then  family  prayer  begins,  which  is  often 
very  sweet,  as  my  mother's  maid  and  my  own  ser- 
vants are,  I  believe,  born  of  G-od.  The  children  begin 
to  sing  prettily,  and  our  praises,  I  trust,  are  heard  on 
high.  From  breakfast,  we  are  all  employed  till  we 
ride  out,  in  fine  weather,  two  hours  for  health ;  and 
after  dinner,  employed  again.  At  six,  I  have  always 
one  hour  for  solemn  meditation  and  walking  in  my 
house  or  the  church  till  seven.  "We  have  then,  some- 
times twenty,  sometimes  more  or  less  of  the  people, 
to  whom  I  expound  the  word  of  the  blessed  G-od  : 
several  appear  much  affected ;  and  sometimes  Jesus 
stands  in  the  midst  and  saith,  'Peace  be  unto  you.' 
Our  devotions  end  at  eight ;  we  sup,  and  go  to  rest  at 
ten.  On  Sundays,  I  am  able  to  speak  six  hours  at 
three  different  times,  to  my  own  great  surprise.  Oh, 
the  goodness  of  G-od  in  raising  me  up." 

The  delights  vouchsafed  to  the  children  of  G-od, 
and  which  constitute  them  a  "peculiar  people,"  are 
strikingly  exhibited  when  the  rector  of  Yelling  says, 
' ;  I  have  now  been  here  three  years  and  three  months. 
Take  notice,  never  absent  but  eleven  out  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  Sundays ;  and  sometimes  not  a 
night  in  a  month.  Is  not  this  residence  ?  and  never 
more  pleased  than  when  no  visitor  came  near  us, 
though  no  one  delights  more  in  the  company  of  his 
friends,  and  the  friends  of  Jesus.  But  I  find  unspeak- 
able joy  in  the  word  of  grace,  at  the  throne  of  grace, 
in  meditation  and  contemplation,  in  recalling  past 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING-. 


243 


marvellous  mercies  and  distinguishing  grace,  in  look- 
ing forward  to  the  final  scene  of  man's  eventful  his- 
tory and  my  own  pilgrimage ;  while  the  business  I 
have  with  my  family,  and  my  sermons — meeting  with 
a  few  poor  cottagers  every  evening,  who  are,  I  trust, 
members  of  Christ — make  each  passing  day  glide  on 
apace  ;  and  weeks  and  months  and  years  bring  with 
them  abounding  evidence  of  Grod's  faithfulness  and 
overflowing  goodness  and  everlasting  love  to  the  vil- 
est of  the  vile,  as  I  sometimes  do  indeed  appear  to 
myself." 

"But  I  have  long  since  found,  that  if  I  turn  my 
eyes  from  Jesus,  and  expect  my  comfort  from  any 
thing  but  from  himself,  I  must  be  disappointed.'7 
Such  was  the  spirit  with  which  he  met  the  trials  of 
the  spiritual  husbandman.  "  Twenty-five  years  ago, 
I  was  certain  I  could  reconcile  the  word  of  God  in 
all  its  parts,  and  be  able  to  pray  without  distraction. 
Now  I  wait  for  the  light  of  eternity  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  holiness,  in  order  that  I  may  know  any  thing 
as  I  ought  to  know." 

Yet  he  labored  lovingly  on.  "I  have  just  now," 
he  tells  us,  "ventured  on  an  undertaking  for  the  dear 
children  of  my  parish.  I  have  engaged  a  master  to 
teach  them  all.  How  tenderly  did  our  Saviour  recom- 
mend little  children  to  our  regard.  Had  I  any  time 
to  begin  anew,  I  would  give  myself  more  to  this  work. 
In  these  labors  of  love,  a  sweet  peace  of  mind  is 
enjoyed ;  and  when  we  teach,  we  are  taught  by  the 
great  Master  of  assemblies.  I  venerate  the  name  of 
Dr.  Francke  of  Halle,  Saxony,  who,  when  a  proles- 


244 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


sor  of  greatest  note  in  that  university,  felt  his  bowels 
yearn  over  the  children  of  the  poor,  and  became  their 
teacher,  though  derided  by  the  university  for  his  heav- 
enly compassion.  So  differently  did  his  God  regard 
the  good  work,  that,  from  a  small  beginning,  it  was 
soon  enlarged  to  be  among  the  first  charitable  foun- 
dations, embalming  his  name  for  ages  to  come." 

In  1777,  his  son  John  went  to  Cambridge,  and 
was  entered  as  a  student  at  Sidney  College.  The 
introduction  of  a  child  on  this  sphere  of  effort,  of  dis- 
cipline, and  of  temptation  must  needs  always  be  an 
event  of  deep  and  anxious  interest  to  the  Christian 
parent.  This  son  had  not  disappointed  parental  fidel- 
ity, he  grew  up  in  the  fear  and  nurture  of  the  Lord  ; 
and  solicitous  to  keep  the  fountain  pure  and  guard 
well  the  outposts  of  Christian  character,  the  father 
impresses  upon  the  lad  the  importance  of  dwelling 
much  upon  the  substantial  parts  of  a  Christian's  life. 
"This  substantial  part,"  says  he,  "is  modesty  and 
chastity,  in  opposition  to  pertness  and  impurity — tem- 
perance and  sobriety,  confronting  the  surfeit  or  drunk- 
enness of  epicures — humility  and  meekness,  in  oppo- 
sition to  natural  haughtiness  and  angry  pride — guard- 
ed cheerfulness,  under  a  sense  both  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence and  the  mischief  of  noisy  mirth — love  to  Grod 
and  his  word,  expressed  by  a  stern  look  when  scoffers 
pour  out  foolishness,  and  when  a  double  entendre  or 
an  infidel  sneer  is  uttered — love  of  diligent  study, 
serious  acquaintance,  useful  conversation,  with  secret 
prayer  and  meditation  on  the  word  of  Christ.  Con- 
scious that  you  are  living  thus,  and  that  this  is  your 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING. 


245 


earnest  purpose  and  daily  prayer,  you  need  have  no 
fear  that  you  are  making  a  compromise  with  the 
world,  or  want  that  zeal  for  the  Lord  which  true  faith 
inspires.  Nothing  will  put  to  silence  the  ignorance 
of  foolish  men  and  conquer  their  prejudices  like  the 
humility,  meekness,  wisdom,  and  soundness  of  mind 
which  those  who  are  really  in  Christ  possess  and 
manifest. 

"I  would  advise  you  to  study  with  attention  and 
exactness  their  characters  who  have  obtained  the  im- 
mortal honor  that  they  'pleased  Grod  such  as  Enoch, 
Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Joshua,  Job.  You  may  be 
sure  nothing  is  misrepresented  here.  You  will  see 
what  manner  of  persons  the  Spirit  of  Grod  does  form ; 
you  will  see  that  supreme  love  to  him,  undaunted 
valor  in  his  cause,  -and  resignation  to  his  will,  fully 
possessed  them.  Then,  lifting  up  your  heart  and  eyes 
to  their  God  and  your  Grod,  beg  that,  under  a  more 
luminous  dispensation  and  richer  helps  for  spiritual 
life  and  godliness,  you  may  be  a  follower  of  them  who 
are  set  before  you  for  examples." 

To  Eling,  his  eldest  daughter,  he  thus  pours  out 
his  soul  in  a  letter  on  one  of  her  birthdays  :  "I  wish 
you  to  be  saying  a  thousand  and  a  thousand  times  to 
yourself,  *  I  am  none  of  my  own ;  I  am  the  Lord's. 
Infinite  honor,  unequalled  grandeur  of  condition,  is 
included  in  this  relation.  May  I  know  how  to  set  a 
just  value  upon  it.  /  am  the  Lord's,  to  have  the 
benefit  of  his  wisdom  and  unerring  counsel.  /  am 
the  Lords,  to  desire  from  his  might  ability  to  do 
those  things  which  by  nature  we  cannot  do.    /  am 


246  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 

the  Lords,  to  be  preserved  and  defended  by  his  ten- 
der care  in  this  world  of  pits  and  snares  and  seduc- 
ing objects  and  malignant  spirits.  /  am  the  Lord's, 
to  hear  his  voice  and  treasure  up  his  divine  savings. 
/  am  the  Lords,  to  do  the  work  he  has  given  me  to 
do  by  the  allotment  of  his  providence,  and  to  be  intent 
on  discharging  it  with  all  diligence,  humility,  and 
cheerfulness.  /  am  the  Lords,  not  only  to  live,  but 
to  die  unto  him.'  Thus  may  our  dear  Eling  be  taught ; 
and  thus  reckon  herself  to  be  alive  to  Gfod  from  the 
dead,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  This  is  the 
whole  my  heart  can  wish  you.  May  you,  living  and 
dying,  be  the  Lords." 

"  It  is  the  pleasure  and  privilege  peculiar  to  Chris- 
tians to  make  intercession  for  their  children,"  he 
writes  to  Kitty  on  her  seventeenth  birthday,  "to  be 
looking  up  to  the  Father  of  mercies,  to  bestow  upon 
them  what  is  necessary  for  their  safety,  their  comfort, 
and  their  usefulness.  I  have  therefore  early  in  the 
morning  of  this  anniversary  presented  my  poor  but 
sincere  prayers  at  the  throne  of  grace  in  your  behalf, 
that  you  might  dwell  in  sa  fety.  My  dear  Kitty  will 
not  be  at  a  loss  to  know  on  what  account  she  need  to 
pray  herself,  and  to  desire  all  that  love  her  soul  to  do 
so  too,  that  she  may  be  preserved.  For  you  know,  I 
trust,  what  enemies  are  ever  working  to  destroy  you  : 
your  corrupt  nature  is  your  most  powerful  enemy. 
"Who  shall  deliver  you  from  it  ?  He  who  left  his 
throne  of  glory  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost.  He  can  and  u-ill,  upon  your  calling  and  lifting 
up  your  soul  to  him.    He  will  create  you  again  after 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING. 


247 


his  own  image  ;  give  you  wisdom  and  power  to  deny 
yourself,  to  do  the  will  of  God,  to  love  him  in  sin- 
cerity, and  to  dwell  in  love  to  every  one.  Then  you 
are  indeed  safe. 

"  I  have  prayed  also  that  you,  my  dear  Kitty,  may 
spend  your  days  in  comfort — not  in  show  or  dress,  or 
in  abundance  of  the  things  of  this  world,  but  in  solid 
comfort ;  knowing  that  you  are  accepted  of  Orod,  and 
that  heaven  is  your  eternal  home.  So  our  ever-blessed 
Saviour,  when  about  to  depart  out  of  this  world,  told 
his  dearest  friends,  '  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless  ; 
I  will  come  to  you.  My  peace  I  give  unto  you.'  All 
desire  comfort ;  yet  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  de- 
spise or  neglect  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  They  cannot  believe 
that  the  crucified  man  who  died  under  the  hands  of  his 
enemies,  is  the  Grod  of  peace  and  hope ;  hence  none 
in  their  natural  state  have  solid  comfort.  One  only 
can  give  it.  It  is  pure,  heart-satisfying  comfort  to 
know  that  you  have,  in  the  Lord  of  all,  a  companion, 
a  counsellor,  and  a  most  familiar  friend,  who  will  be 
ever  present  with  your  spirit,  who  orders  all  your  con- 
dition, whether  you  shall  be  sick  or  well,  lose  or  still 
enjoy  the  advantage  of  very  dear  relations.  In  a 
word,  this  alone  is  comfort,  to  have  in  Grod  a  Father, 
to  whom  you  can  apply  and  rest  satisfied  with  all 
his  will. 

"  But  comfort  and  safety  are  not  the  whole  I 
pray  the  Lord  to  provide  for  your  soul.  Useful- 
ness  is  the  very  excellency  of  life.  No  man,  in  the 
real  church  of  Christ,  liveth  unto  himself.  Every 
true  Christian  is  a  tree  of  righteousness,  whose  fruits 


248 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


are  good  and  profitable  unto  all  men.  He  is  glad  to 
help  and  to  comfort  others.  He  is  diligent  and  indus- 
trious. He  dwells  in  peace  and  gentleness  and  love. 
He  reproves  what  is  wrong  by  an  excellent  example, 
and  recommends  by  his  own  practice  what  is  pleasing 
to  God. 

"  My  dear  Kitty,  how  have  you  been  distinguished 
by  the  divine  goodness — distinguished  in  having  your 
birth  in  a  land  of  gospel  light,  in  your  parents  being 
believers,  in  the  examples  you  have  seen,  in  the 
instructions  you  have  received,  and  in  the  pains 
taken  with  you.  All  these  advantages  you  are  to 
improve,  not  as  a  task,  but  for  your  own  enjoyment, 
Grod  having  inseparably  connected  our  duty  and  our 
happiness.  I  figure  you,  therefore,  to  myself,  as 
maintaining  a  wise,  discreet,  and  godly  conversation ; 
satisfied  with  the  portion  the  Lord  divides  unto  his 
children ;  acquainted  with  spiritual  blessings ;  filling 
up  each  day,  so  as  to  find  time  too  short  for  all  you 
have  to  do." 

Nor  did  the  beloved  youth  of  his  own  family  and 
parish  alone  share  the  affectionate  assiduities  of  this 
devoted  man.  His  vicinity  to  Cambridge  brought 
many  a  serious  student  from  college  halls  to  the 
study  and  fireside  of  Yelling,  where  they  always 
received  a  cordial  welcome,  and  found  in  Mr.  Venn  a 
wise  counsellor  and  experienced  teacher  in  heavenly 
things. 

Mr.  Yenn  had  a  quick  insight  into  character  and 
excelled  in  conversation,  and  these  rendered  his  social 
and  pastoral  influence  very  great.    His  manners  were 


THE  RECTORY  OF  YELLING-.  249 

tender  and  sympathizing,  inspiring  confidence  and 
winning  affection,  and  thus  preparing  the  way  for  a 
fidelity  to  the  immortal  interests  of  his  fellow-men 
which  seldom  gave  offence.  He  had  none  of  that 
startling,  vehement,  brilliant  oratory  which  distin- 
guished some  of  his  illustrious  associates,  but  his 
deep  acquaintance  with  the  distinguishing  doctrines 
of  the  word  of  (rod  imparted  an  unspeakable  solem- 
nity to  his  manner,  and  a  penetrating  earnestness  to 
his  language ;  his  preaching  made  all  men  feel  that 
they  had  business  with  Grod  and  eternity  which  must 
not  be  trifled  with,  and  could  not  be  delayed. 

In  common  with  them  he  possessed  the  deep  spir- 
ituality, the  reverent,  yet  rejoicing  spirit,  the  abase- 
ment and  the  elevation  which  distinguish  those  who 
truly  walk  with  Grod.  His  instructions  were  sound, 
solid,  and  eminently  practical ;  he  aimed  to  establish 
and  build  up  well-ordered  Christian  character,  to 
foster  and  strengthen  the  habits  essential  to  holy 
living.  "  Every  prophet  and  every  apostle,"  he  said 
to  a  son  after  he  entered  the  ministry,  "insists  as 
much  on  the  fruits  of  faith,  as  upon  faith  itself  and 
the  glory  of  Christ's  person.  The  sovereign  and  elect- 
ing grace  of  Grod,  by  which  alone  we  are  brought  to 
him,  bears  no  proportion  in  the  Scriptures  to  the 
continued  mention  that  is  made  of  the  absolute  neces- 
sity, beauty,  and  excellency  of  a  holy  life  and  con- 
versation— bears  no  proportion,  I  say,  to  the  practical 
part  of  our  religion."  And  this  growth  in  grace,  and 
these  fruits  of  faith,  of  which  Venn  himself  was  an 
eminent  example,  can  alone  spring  from  an  experi- 

11* 


250 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


mental  knowledge  of,  and  a  vital  union  with  Christ 
the  crucified  Saviour ;  any  thing  short  of  this  is  delu- 
sive, and  must  produce  mildew,  stagnation,  and 
death. 

No  wonder  that  the  young  Timothys  of  Cam- 
bridge prized  the  friendship  of  the  rector  of  Yelling ; 
his  influence  was  not  lost  upon  them,  and  long  after 
his  death  it  was  perpetuated  in  the  godly  lives  of 
many  an  humble  curate  and  zealous  rector,  whose 
devoted  piety  adorned  the  next  generation  of  English 
clergymen. 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


251 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ROWLAND  HILL. 

Rowland  Hill  was  now  in  the  zenith  of  his  pop- 
ularity. AVhitefield  and  Berridge  had  been  his  foster- 
fathers  in  the  Christian  life,  nor  did  he  ever  disown 
or  dishonor  Ins  spiritual  birthright ;  with  the  humor 
of  the  one,  and  the  impressive  oratory  of  the  other, 
united  to  the  apostolic  zeal  which  belonged  alike  to 
both,  he  appeared  in  the  highways  and  by-ways  of 
England,  preaching  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
*  through  Christ  the  crucified  Saviour.  In  chapels 
and  churches,  market-places  and  moors,  fields  and 
fairs,  wherever  there  were  men  to  hear,  there  was 
Rowland  Hill  enforcing  with  robust  earnestness  that 
truth  which  thrilled  his  own  soul ;  and  especially 
were  his  strong  sympathies  drawn  towards  those 
classes  where  vice  has  no  disguise  and  sorrow  no 
alleviations. 

During  the  political  riots  which  broke  out  in 
England  in  17S0,  threatening  the  peace  of  the  realm, 
he  often  went  to  St.  Greorge?s  Fields,  in  the  southern 
suburb  of  London,  a  place  of  disorderly  assemblages 
and  seditious  vigils,  and  dared  to  address  vast  con- 
courses of  discontented  and  starving  workmen  upon 
the  verities  of  the  world  to  come.  His  intrepid  ad- 
dresses were  charged  with  hidden  power ;  they  pierced 
the  consciences  of  men  hungry  for  bread,  and  heated 


252 


LADY  HUNTIN&TOW. 


with  political  excitement :  the  grievances  of  the  pres- 
ent life,  great  as  they  seemed  to  he,  and  great  as 
they  really  were,  sunk  into  comparative  insignifi- 
cance hefore  the  momentous  interests  of  the  life  to 
come  ;  stout  hearts  gave  way  ;  a  cry  went  up  for  the 
bread  of  life,  and  they  who  had  nothing  to  expect 
from  earthly  sovereigns,  gained  access  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  Nor  is  it  to  he  wondered  at,  that  hatred  and 
spite  aimed  their  shafts  at  the  hold  yet  true  reform- 
er ;  often  he  was  pelted  with  stones,  lampooned,  burnt 
in  effigy,  which,  with  the  displeasure  of  his  parents 
and  the  undisguised  uneasiness  felt  by  many  of  his 
true  yet  timid  friends,  might  have  damped  a  heart 
less  resolutely  devoted  to  his  Master's  cause. 

"  True,  I  am  what  the  world  despises,  a  '  lay  itin- 
erant,'"  he  says,  "but  I  am  certainly  convinced  of 
the  Lord's  blessing  on  the  work."  And  could  he  cease 
from  it  ?  Toplady  invited  him  to  his  house  in  Lon- 
don, and  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  his  course ;  but 
the  times  needed  just  such  men,  and  men  were  raised 
up  who  recognized  the  call,  and  who  were  made 
"strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might." 

"  Because  I  am  in  earnest,"  he  once  said  at  "VVot- 
ton,  "  men  call  me  an  enthusiast.  But  I  am  not ; 
mine  are  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  "When  I 
first  came  into  this  part  of  the  country,  I  was  walking 
on  yonder  hill ;  I  saw  a  gravel-pit  fall  in,  and  bury  three 
human  beings  alive.  I  lifted  up  my  voice  for  help 
so  loud  that  I  was  heard  in  the  town  below,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  a  mile  ;■  help  came,  and  rescued  two  of  the 
poor  sufferers.    No  one  called  me  an  enthusiast  then ; 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


253 


and  when  I  see  eternal  destruction  ready  to  fal<  apon 
poor  sinners,  and  about  to  entomb  them  irrecoverably 
in  an  eternal  mass  of  woe,  and  call  aloud  on  them  to 
escape,  shall  I  be  called  an  enthusiast  now?  No, 
sinner,  I  am  not  an  enthusiast  .in  so  doing:  I  call 
on  thee  aloud  to  fly  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before 
thee  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus and  there  were 
times  when  the  tremendous  issues  of  life  and  death, 
of  heaven  and  hell,  were  so  vividly  pictured  to  his 
own  mind,  that  the  impassioned  energy  of  his  manner 
was  almost  overwhelming.  "  I  like  to  go  and  hear 
Rowland  Hill,"  said  Sheridan,  "because  his  ideas 
come  red-hot  from  the  heart." 

There  was,  indeed,  no  false  show  of  feeling,  no 
trickeries  of  language,  no  assumed  oddity  of  manner, 
by  which  he  or  his  illustrious  compeers  attracted  and 
riveted  the  minds  of  both  the  learned  and  the  un- 
learned, the  rude  and  the  refined,  constraining  them 
to  honor  the  messages  of  salvation  by  the  attentive 
ear,  and,  in  how  many  cases,  by  the  submission  of 
then  hearts  and  the  renewal  of  their  lives. 

The  motto  of  the  Hill  family  was,  "  Go  forward;" 
words  of  stirring  significance,  which  Rowland  had 
engraven  on  his  seal,  and  which  were  the  watchword 
and  epitome  of  his  world-known  career. 

"  Dear  sir,"  wrote  Berridge,  who  marked  his 
progress  with  cheerly  interest,  "  I  mean,  my  dear 
Rowley,  your  kind  letter  was  long  in  coming,  but  it 
brought  good  tidings  and  refreshed  my  heart.  The 
motto  of  your  seal  rejoiced  me  much  ;  it  gave  me  a 
peep  into  your  bosom,  and  a  taste  of  your  letter  before 


254 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


I  read  it.  Indeed,  I  was  afraid  lest  orders  and  some 
other  things  would  cure  you  of  rambling ;  but  my 
fears  were  groundless,  and  all  is  well.  The  lampoon 
published  against  you  is  a  blessed  omen  for  good, 
that  God  intends  to  honor  you.  It  seems  to  me  a 
happy  token  that  you  will  remain  an  itinerant,  and 
that  much  good  will  arise  from  your  ministry.  Lu- 
ther used  to  say,  when  the  Lord  had  fresh  work  for 
him,  a  strong  trial  was  sent  beforehand  to  prepare 
him  for  it  by  humiliation.  Study  not  to  be  a  fine 
preacher.  Jerichos  are  blown  down  with  ram's  horns. 
Look  simply  unto  Jesus  for  preaching  food ;  and  what 
is  wanted  will  be  given,  and  what  is  given  will  be 
blessed,  whether  it  be  a  barley  or  a  wheaten  loaf,  a 
crust  or  a  crumb.  Your  mouth  will  be  a  flowing 
stream,  or  a  fountain  sealed,  according  as  your  heart 
is.  Avoid  all  controversy  in  preaching,  talking,  or 
writing ;  preach  nothing  down  but  the  devil,  and 
nothing  up  but  Jesus  Christ." 

These  irregularities  rinding  no  favor  with  the  eccle- 
siastical authorities,  Rowland  found  much  difficulty 
in  obtaining  orders.  His  friends  begged  him  to  desist 
while  application  was  making  in  his  behalf,  and  accord- 
ingly we  find  him  at  one  time  trying  to  keep  quiet 
at  the  house  of  a  pious  friend  in  Woburn.  "While 
here,  he  writes  to  Miss  Tudway,  the  lady  whom  he  is 
about  to  marry,  with  the  hearty  and  honest  directness 
which  always  characterized  him,  in  reply  to  her  affec- 
tionate recommendations  to  abandon  "the  field." 

"  I  beg  you  to  be  at  ease  about  my  conduct,"  he  says, 
"since  I  assure  you  I  act  with  all  the  caution  in  my 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


255 


power.  I  know  your  heart  is  upright  before  G-od ;  your 
fearing  mind  frequently  perplexes  you  :  I  am  sure  it  is 
a  sign  of  a  most  tender  heart,  and  such  tender-hearted 
disciples  shall  never  want  direction  from  above.  Here 
I  continue  a  prisoner,  though  a  prisoner  at  large,  under 
this  hospitable  roof,  and  .  I  have  a  hearty  welcome  to 
stay  until  the  bishop's  answer  is  received.  On  Satur- 
day, at  farthest,  I  shall  hope  to  receive  it,  as  I  really 
dread  staying  over  here  on  the  Sunday,  my  tempta- 
tions to  preach  will,  I  know,  be  so  great ;  and  if  I  do 
not,  as  I  am  known  in  these  parts,  I  know  it  will 
slacken  dear  Grrove's  hands  and  grieve  the  dear  people 
of  G-od  in  the  neighborhood.  Here  as  well  as  in  other 
places,  there  seems  to  be  a  more  extensive  opening 
than  ever ;  0  that  I  were  at  liberty  to  labor  for  my 
God." 

Through  the  intercession  of  his  friends  a  favor- 
able answer  was  received,  and  Rowland  was  at  last 
ordained  deacon  by  Dr.  Wills,  the  aged  Bishop  of 
Bath  and  Wells;  and  "through  the  kind  and  unex- 
pected interposition  of  Providence,"  he  says,  "I  was 
ordained  without  any  condition  or  compromise  what- 
ever."   It  was  in  June,  1773. 

Unfettered  then  by  "promise  or  condition,"  the 
newly  made  deacon  having  already  "endured  hardness 
as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  began  to  make  full 
proof  of  his  ministry,"  by  again  resuming  his  home 
missionary  labors  and  preaching  as  he  had  opportu- 
nity. At  one  time  we  find  him  in  Northampton, 
standing  where  Doddridge  stood  twenty-five  years 
before,  pleading  the  claims  of  that  gospel  whose  sweet- 


256 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


ness  and  richness  so  filled  his  life  and  so  fitted  him 
for  death.  Then  he  is  at  Olney,  where  no  meeting- 
house could  contain  the  thronging  multitude  ;  then 
among  the  fashion  of  Richmond,  "  expecting  much 
persecution;"  and  on  a  Tuesday,  at  the  Tabernacle 
in  London,  attending  a  "general  sacrament,  lasting 
from  six  till  ten,  where,  blessed  be  Grod,  thousands 
communicated." 

Now  we  follow  him  to  Wales  and  stop  with  him 
some  bright  morning  on  the  road,  where  he  preaches, 
at  "the  blessed  consecration  of  an  old  barn,  on  pre- 
paring '  a  habitation  for  the  Lord.'  "  Rowland  loves 
the  hearty  tone  of  Welsh  piety,  it  is  "savory  and 
well  baked,"  and  he  is  received  with  open  arms ;  he 
preaches  three  or  four  sermons  a  day.  never  less  than 
an  hour  long,  and  the  people  follow  him  by  thousands. 
Another  Whitefield  is  ranging  over  the  hills,  another 
Howell  Harris  is  revisiting  the  beloved  preaching 
spots  and  reviving  the  hearts  of  (rod's  dear  people. 
No  inclemency  of  the  weather  hinders  the  gathering 
of  the  peasantry.  Many  a  time,  it  is  said,  did  he 
stand  through  a  heavy  shower,  preaching  to  a  vast 
concourse  of  these  hardy  men,  who  seemed  uncon- 
scious of  the  rain,  and  were  as  orderly  and  attentive 
as  if  sunshine  were  overhead.  No  fair  weather  hear- 
ers these  ;  and  he  used  afterwards  to  say  to  his  Lon- 
don audience,  when  the  weather  had  kept  them  at 
home  on  the  Sabbath,  "Ah,  if  you  loved  the  gospel 
as  the  Welsh  do,  you  would  not  mind  a  shower." 

These  labors,  abundant  and  blessed  as  there  is 
reason  to  believe  they  were  by  the  great  Bishop  of 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


257 


souls,  vexed  those  in  authority,  and  prevented  his 
farther  advancement  in  the  church ;  he  never  was 
ordained  priest,  and  the  disappointment  is  only  thus 
briefly  recorded  :  "  Missing  of  full  orders,  I  thought  it 
was  my  duty  again  to  begin  my  public  labors  as 
usual."  The  friendship  of  the  church  authorities 
could  give  no  additional  value  to  his  labors,  nor  could 
its  displeasure  rob  them  of  their  power. 

The  Tabernacle  and  Tottenham-court  hailed  Row- 
land Hill  as  a  successor  of  Whitefield,  and  crowds 
attended  on  his  preaching. 

In  the  early  part  of  his  career,  while  under  the 
paternal  frown,  Lady  Huntington  had  received  the 
ardent  and  self-forgetting  young  man  with  an  open 
heart,  and  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome  beneath  her 
roof.  Subsequently  a  coolness  seems  to  have  sprung 
up  between  them  :  though  mutually  respecting  each 
other,  and  mutually  wishing  each  other  Grod  speed  in 
separate  paths  of  usefulness,  they  do  not  appear  to 
have  wrought  harmoniously  together. 

The  committee  of  Spa-fields  chapel,  anxious  at 
one  time  to  secure  his  services  for  that  portion  of 
London,  consulted  Lady  Huntington  in  reference  to 
inviting  him  to  supply  the  pulpit.  In  reply  to  the 
letter  addressed  to  her  on  the  subject,  she  said,  with 
the  distinctness  which  always  marked  her  movements, 
''Without  reserve  to  you,  my  kind  friend,  and  witih 
every  best  wish  to  dear  Mr.  Venn,  Mr.  Hill  cannot 
preach  for  me.  This  must  not  be  pressed.  Should 
any  future  day  prove  it  expedient,  it  may  be  con- 
sidered ;  but  be  assured  it  cannot  be  now.    Mr.  Piercy 


253  LADY  HUNTINGTON. 

will  be  succeeded  at  Spa-fields  by  Mr.  Philips,  the 
master  of  the  college,  till  some  other  of  our  ministers 
return  from  their  four  quarterly  excursions  around  the 
kingdom.  He  is  a  gracious,  worthy,  and  faithful  min- 
ister ;  he  is  not  only  sufficiently  judicious  for  a  critic 
to  hear,  but  -welcome  to  every  heart  that  loves  the 
Lord.  Respected  Christian  love  to  you  and  dear  Mr. 
Venn,  and  to  the  committee." 

Her  conduct  in  reference  to  the  young  man,  was 
like  the  language  of  the  patriarch  of  old  to  his  kins- 
man Lot,  "Let  there  be  no  strife,  I  pray  thee,  betwixt 
me  and  thee ;  for  we  be  brethren.  Is  not  the  whole 
land  before  thee  ?  Separate  thyself,  I  pray  thee,  from 
me."'  "Would  not  much  discontent  and  discord  be 
nipped  in  the  bud,  and  the  people  of  G-od  be  saved 
from  much  just  reproach,  if  they  whose  strong  indi- 
vidualities or  peculiar  opinions  cannot  harmonize, 
would  kindly  part,  seeking  distinct  fields  of  labor, 
"one  to  the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left ;  for  is  not 
the  whole  land  before  us  ?" 

Rowland  is  perhaps  now  at  London,  dwelling  at 
the  Tabernacle  parsonage,  and  helping  to  form  a 
society  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  pastors  to  itinerate 
in  their  immediate  districts,  after  the  example  of 
Berridge  and  Grimshaw  ;  this  association  received  the 
name  of  Societas  Evangelica,  or  what  with  us  would 
be  more  familiarly  termed  a  home  missionary  society. 
Or  perhaps  he  is  at  Wotton,  the  place  which  he  called 
home  after  his  marriage,  a  beautiful  town  a  hundred 
miles  north-west  of  London,  commanding  a  fine  pros- 
pect of  the  "Welsh  mountains  and  the  silvery  Severn, 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


259 


with,  woody  knolls  and  green  dales,  and  all  the  rich 
variety  of  an  English  landscape  on  every  side.  Here, 
in  a  picturesque  situation,  he  built  a  house,  with  a 
chapel  called  The  Tabernacle,  which  Robert  Hall 
pronounces  "one  of  the  most  paradisiacal  spots  he 
was  ever  in."  But  Mr.  Hill's  friends  became  anxious, 
at  last,  to  secure  his  permanent  services  in  the  great 
metropolis  ;  accordingly  a  subscription  was  set  on  foot 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  chapel  at  St.  Greorge's 
Fields,  the  scene  of  former  conquests,  and  a  region 
whose  spiritual  barrenness  loudly  appealed  to  the 
friends  of  humanity. 

"I  am  persuaded  your  ladyship  will  rejoice," 
wrote  Berridge  to  Lady  Huntington,  who  was  then 
at  Trevecca,  "that  dear  Rowley  is  going,  with  the 
Lord's  help,  to  erect  a  standard  for  the  gospel  in  the 
very  middle  of  the  devil's  dominions  in  London. 
What  a  bellowing  and  clamor  the  old  enemy  will 
make,  at  this  fresh  invasion  of  his  kingdom.  But  he 
may  storm  and  rage  and  persecute,  Christ's  cause 
must  and  will  prevail  over  all  opposition.  A  meet- 
ing has  been  held,  and  I  am  told  the  place  fixed  upon 
is  one  of  the  worst  spots  in  London.  This  much  is 
satisfactory.  Fine  soil  for  plowing  and  sowing !  By 
and  by,  my  lady,  we  shall  hear  of  the  reaping  time, 
the  harvest,  and  the  harvest-home.  How  glorious 
will  be  the  triumphs  of  the  gospel  in  that  place. 
Some  of  the  blessed  fruits  we  may  expect  to  meet  in 
our  Father's  kingdom  above.  I  need  not  remind  your 
dear  ladyship  to  pour  forth  a  volley  of  prayers  for  the 
success  of  this  sanctuary." 


260 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


"  Such,"  the  countess  tells  us,  "is  the  very  reviv- 
ing news  from  London.  I,  who  have  known  Mr.  Hill 
from  his  first  setting  out,  can  testify,  that  no  man 
ever  engaged  with  more  heart-felt  earnestness  in 
bringing  captives  from  Satan  to  the  glorious  liberty 
of  the  gospel ;  and  it  will  require  all  the  energies  of 
his  zealous  and  enterprising  spirit  to  erect  the  stand- 
ard of  the  cross  in  that  part  of  London,  where  igno- 
rance and  depravity  prevail  to  an  awful  degree. 
Though  I  have  seen  sufficient  cause  to  exclude  him 
from  my  chapel  for  the  present,  yet  I  cordially  rejoice 
in  the  success  which  has  attended  his  faithful  labors. 
I  knew  him  when  a  youth  at  the  university,  when 
persecuted  by  his  family,  when  in  pecuniary  distress  ; 
and  he  was  as  a  son  to  me,  received  into  my  house, 
and  preached  for  me  everywhere.  My  heart's  desire 
and  prayer  to  Gfod  is,  that  this  undertaking  may  pros- 
per most  abundantly,  and  that  many  souls  may  there 
be  gathered  to  the  true  Shiloh,  and  be  crowns  of  his 
rejoicing  in  the  great  day." 

Not  only  did  the  undertaking  meet  with  -her  cor- 
dial approbation,  but  she  aided  it  by  a  liberal  sub- 
scription. The  corner-stone  of  this  now  well-known 
house  of  worship,  called  Surrey  Chapel,  situated  be- 
tween Blackfriars  bridge  and  the  Obelisk,  south 
of  the  Thames,  was  laid,  with  appropriate  services, 
on  the  24th  of  June,  1782,  when  a  sermon  was 
preached  by  Mr.  Hill  from  Isaiah  28  : 16,  "  Behold,  I 
lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a 
precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation."  The  chapel 
was  vested  in  the  hands  of  fifteen  trustees,  its  doc- 


ROWLAND  HILL. 


2G1 


trinal  basis  the  articles  of  the  church  of  England, 
and  its  pulpit  free  to  pious  ministers  of  all  denomi- 
nations and  of  every  country. 

"  The.  church  turned  me  off,  and  not  I  her,"  its 
pastor  used  to  say  in  later  times.  "  I  confess,  I  like 
a  little  more  liberty  than  she  allows;  and,  thank  (rod, 
I  can  ask  the  great  Dr.  Chalmers  and  great  Dr.  Mor- 
rison and  others,  when  they  come  to  London,  to  preach 
in  Surrey  chapel  pulpit.  I  suppose  they  would  not 
let  St.  Paul,  if  he  were  to  come  upon  earth  now, 
preach  in  his  own  cathedral." 

Surrey  chapel,  or  Rowland  Hill's  chapel,  as  it  is 
frequently  called,  is  an  object  of  great  interest  to 
Christian  travellers  from  this  side  of  the  Atlantic; 
and  one  says  of  it,  "  Probably  no  place  of  worship 
has  been  the  source  of  more  institutions  for  promoting 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of  men,  than  this 
has  been ;"  indeed  we  find  springing  up,  soon  after 
his  settlement,  a  "  School  of  Industry,"  a  "  Benevolent 
Society  for  the  Relief  and  Personal  Visitation  of  the 
Sick  Poor,"  a  "  Dorcas  Association,"  a  society  or 
"  Social  Meetings"  for  young  converts;  social  prayer- 
meetings  were  gathered  here  and  there,  in  which  he 
mingled  with  a  cordial  and  delighted  interest ;  and 
afterwards  he  and  his  church  took  an  active  part  in 
founding  several  of  the  principal  benevolent  institu- 
tions of  the  age. 

Mr.  Hill  now  became*  a  settled  pastor  and  a  perma- 
nent resident  of  London,  and  lover  as  he  was  of  the 
picturesque  and  beautiful  in  nature,  the  change  of 
homes  would  have  beeti  painful  to  one  less  ardently 


2G2 


LADY  HUNTlNCrlON. 


attached  to  his  heavenly  work.  The  present  occu- 
pants of  Surrey  side  can  hardly  realize,  that  all  about 
the  house  he  then  lived  in  was  a  swampy  marsh  edged 
with  the  ahodes  of  vicious  poverty. 

Yet  Mr.  Hill  had  his  summer  tours  and  haunts, 
when  he  revisited  the  scenes  of  his  early  labors, 
refreshed  himself  on  the  green  banks  of  the  Severn, 
and  rejoiced  in  his  sylvan  retreat  at  Wotton ;  indeed, 
he  sometimes  humorously  subscribes  himself,  "Rector 
of  Surrey  chapel,  vicar  of  Wotton-under-edge,  and 
curate  of  all  the  fields,  commons,  etc.,  throughout 
England  and  AVales." 

His  dear  old  friends  Berridge  and  Venn  sometimes 
supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  absent  pastor,  and  never 
was  he  more  gratified  than  when  his  people  were 
thus  fed  with  the  marrow  and  fatness  of  Christian 
truth.  An  annual  exchange  also  took  place  between 
Mr.  Hill  and  Dr.  Scott,  chaplain  of  the  Lock  hospital. 
"After  I  had  been  a  few  years  in  London,"  said  the 
venerable  commentator,  "  I  refused  to  preach  irreg- 
ularly, except  as  once  a  year  I  consented  to  exchange 
pulpits  with  Mr.  Hill  of  Surrey  chapel,  that  being  the 
stipulated  condition  of  his  preaching  a  charity-sermon 
for  the  hospital." 

Rowland  Hill,  whose  life  and  labors  extended 
more  than  thirty  years  into  the  present  century,  and 
whose  fame  was  almost  as  much  the  wonder  of  our 
childhood  as  was  "WTiitefield  that  of  our  grand-parents, 
is  i  bright  ray  from  that  elder  time,  when  Whitefield 
and  Wesley,  Berridge  and  Venn,  gemmed  with  their 
heavenly  radiance  a  dark  night  in  the  history  of  the 
church. 


♦ 


THE  SECESSION. 


263 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  SECESSION. 

In  Spa-fields,  or  Clerkenwell,  as  it  is  now  "better 
known,  then  a  northern  suburb  of  London,  a  large 
building  had  been  erected  called  the  Parthenon, 
designed  especially  for  a  place  of  Sunday  amuse- 
ment, where,  in  its  whirlpools  of  riot  and  excess, 
many  both  of  the  young  and  old  wrecked  their  hopes 
for  this  world  and  the  next.  But  in  this  case,  the 
wages  of  sins  proving  low,  the  building  was  after  a 
while  put  up  for  sale  or  lease,  and  those  who  had  the 
spiritual  desolations  of  that  part  of  the  metropolis  at 
heart,  were  anxious  to  secure  it  for  a  place  of  divine 
worship.  Two  awakened  clergymen  belonging  to 
the  establishment  had  their  eyes  fixed  upon  it  for 
this  purpose,  determining  to  fit  it  up  at  their  own 
expense  for  that  preaching  which  would  seek  and 
save  them  which  are  lost.  Meanwhile  Lady  Hunt- 
ington, advised  of  the  sale,  immediately  saw  the  im- 
portance of  the  stand,  and  began  to  consult  with  her 
friends  upon  the  propriety  of  taking  it  herself. 

Mr.  Toplady  discouraged  the  movement :  the  first 
outlay,  he  thought,  must  be  large,  and  the  stated 
outgoings  afterwards  were  calculated  at  £400  a  year ; 
the  place  was  far  out  of  town,  and  the  ways  to  it 
none  of  the  best  in  winter.    "And  consider  also,"  ho 


264 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


adds,  "the  supply  of  constant  and  able  ministers 
■which  such  a  chapel  would  require ;  where  are  they 

to  be  had  ?" 

Lady  Huntington  yielded  to  the  prudent  sugges- 
tions of  her  advisers,  though  contrary  to  her  wishes 
and  convictions ;  "for  my  heart,"  she  tells  us,  "is 
strongly  set  upon  having  this  temple  of  folly  dedi- 
cated to  Jehovah  Jesus,  the  great  Head  of  his  church 
and  people.  Dear  Mr.  Berridge  does  not  discourage 
the  undertaking,  but  says  I  may  count  upon  a  fit  of 
sickness  if  I  engage  in  this  affair.  I  feel  so  deeply 
for  the  perishing  thousands  in  that  part  of  London, 
that  I  am  ready  to  run  any  risk  ;  and  though  at  this 
moment  I  have  not  a  penny  to  command,  yet  I  am 
so  firmly  persuaded  of  the  goodness  of  the  Maste; 
whose  I  am,  and  whom  I  desire  to  serve,  that  I  shall 
not  want  gold  or  silver  for  the  work.  It  is  his  cause ; 
he  has  the  hearts  of  all  at  his  disposal,  and  I  shaL 
have  help  when  he  sees  fit  to  employ  me  in  his  ser- 
vice. Nevertheless,  with  some  regret,  I  give  up  the 
matter  this  time  ;  those  on  the  spot  may  be  able  to 
judge  better  than  I  can,  hut  faith  tells  me  to  go  for- 
ward,  nothing  fearing,  nothing  doubting." 

Lady  Huntington  having  relinquished  her  plans, 
the  building  was  taken  by  a  company  of  gentlemen, 
who  converted  it  into  a  place  of  divine  worship  and 
engaged  two  excellent  preachers  to  supply  the  desk. 
Thus  a  faithful  and  efficient  ministry  was  set  up  in 
Spa-fields.  The  spacious  edifice  was  filled  with 
hearers,  while  the  whole  neighborhood  shared  in  their 
labors  of  love;  the  sick  were  visited,  the  sorrowful 


THE  SECESSION. 


265 


comforted,  and  sinners  were  led  to  repentance  and 
newness  of  life. 

The  zealous  and  abundant  labors  of  these  faithful 
men  soon  stirred  up  the  hostility  of  the  minister  of 
St.  James,  the  parish  church,  who,  resenting  the  im- 
plied reproach  which  their  earnest  ministrations  cast 
upon  himself,  determined  if  possible  to  drive  them 
from  the  field.  He  accordingly  set  up  his  right  to 
nominate  the  chaplains  and  preach  in  the  chapel 
whenever  he  pleased ;  he  formally  demanded  the 
sacramental  money,  and  all  the  income  derived  from 
the  seats  or  other  sources  to  be  paid  to  him,  and  on 
pain  of  non-compliance  threatened  to  bring  the  mat- 
ter before  the  ecclesiastical  courts. 

These  claims,  so  subversive  of  the  rights  and 
authority  of  the  proprietors,  were  firmly  resisted ; 
the  curate,  whose  motives  inclined  him  neither  to 
generosity  nor  justice,  exasperated  by  the  dignified 
stand  of  the  proprietors,  commenced  a  suit  against 
the  Spa-fields  preachers  in  the  Consistorial  court  of 
the  Bishop  of  London.  The  offending  clergymen 
were  speedily  cited  to  appear  before  it  to  answer  to 
the  charge  of  irregularity,  in  carrying  on  divine  wor- 
ship in  a  place  not  episcopally  dedicated,  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  wishes  of  the  minister  of  the  parish. 
Verdicts  were  found  against  them,  and  they  were 
ordered  to  desist  from  their  ministrations  ;  the  chapel 
was  closed,  and  the  once  flourishing  congregation 
broken  up  and  scattered. 

The  affair  gave  great  pain  to  the  friends  of  true 
religion.    As  soon  as  the  result  was  known,  Lady 

Huntington.  1 2 


266 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


Huntington  hastened  to  London  to  see  if  something 
could  not  be  done  in  order  to  rescue  the  chapel  from 
the  persecuting  curate.  An  opportunity  now  offered 
to  follow  counsels  less  timid  than  those  formerly 
given,  and  more  in  harmony  with  her  own  daring 
and  hopeful  spirit.  Lord  Dartmouth  and  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton advised  Lady  Huntington  to  become  proprietor 
of  the  chapel,  and  thus  place  it  on  a  footing  with  her 
other  chapels,  under  the  protection  and  jurisdiction  of 
a  peeress  of  the  realm. 

"Blessed  be  Grod,"  she  exclaims,  "for  the  ability 
and  strength  which  has  been  given  me  in  the  prose- 
cution of  this  affair.  0  pray  that  His  presence  may 
be  with  us  at  the  dedication,  and  the  power  of  his 
arm  revealed  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  to  himself. 
My  eye  is  directed  to  this  ultimate  and  only  end  of 
all  my  labors." 

The  house  passed  into  her  hands,  and  was  again 
opened  under  auspices  favorable  to  true  religion. 
Lady  Huntington's  income  at  this  time  was  no  more 
than  sufficient  to  meet  the  already  numerous  de- 
mands made  upon  it  by  her  various  undertakings  to 
extend  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  But  her  faith  and 
courage  never  failed.  Her  vigorous  and  resolute 
spirit  rose  above  all  timid  counsels  or  temporary  pol- 
icy, in  things  needful  to  be  done.  Once  clearly  decided 
in  her  views  of  duty,  she  knew  no  faltering,  and  her 
"  must  be  "  carried  with  it  a  wonderful  power  to  clear 
away  the  hinderances  which  might  stop  the  progress 
of  less  ardent  and  resolute  temperaments. 

We  note  at  this  time  this  pleasing  incident.  A 


THE  SECESSION.  267 

gentleman  who  assisted  her  in  the  management  of 
Spa-fields  chapel,  called  one  day  at  her  house  to 
remonstrate  with  her  on  the  impropriety  of  taking 
measures  for  another  chapel  in  the  metropolis,  with- 
out having  the  means  for  carrying  them  out.  Before 
he  left  the  house  her  letters  arrived.  As  she  opened 
one,  her  face  brightened  and  tears  came  into  her  eyes. 
The  letter  ran  thus :  "An  individual  who  has  heard 
of  Lady  Huntington's  exertions  to  spread  the  gospel, 
requests  her  acceptance  of  the  enclosed  draft."  It 
was  for  five  hundred  pounds,  the  exact  sum  then 
required  for  the  purposed  undertaking.  "  Here,"  said 
she,  "take  it,  and  pay  for  the  chapel ;  and  be  no  longer 
faithless,  but  believing." 

As  a  peeress  of  the  realm,  Lady  Huntington  be- 
lieved she  possessed  the  right  of  employing  her  own 
chaplains  when  and  where  she  chose  on  her  own  prem- 
ises. In  this,  however,  she  was  destined  to  be  unde- 
ceived ;  for  the  curate  of  St.  James,  with  unabated 
zeal,  renewed  his  attack  both  upon  her  chapel  and 
preachers,  and  once  more  carried  the  matter  before 
the  tribunals  of  the  church,  and  here  she  fared  no 
better  than  her  predecessors.  The  suit  was  decided 
against  her  ;  verdicts  were  issued  against  Dr.  Ha  we  is 
and  Mr.  Glascott,  the  preachers  of  Spa-fields,  and  they 
were  prohibited  from  again  exercising  their  ministerial 
functions  at  the  chapel.  Harassed  by  the  suit,  and 
surprised  at  the  result,  Lady  Huntington  lost  no  time 
in  consulting  the  highest  legal  advice,  and  submitted 
the  following  questions  to  a  leading  lawyer  at  the 
English  bar : 


268 


LAD  Y  HUNTINGTON. 


"  Is  the  domestic  chapel  of  a  peer  of  this  realm 
exempt  from  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  and  licensed  ? 

"  What  constitutes  such  domestic  chapel?  Is  it 
sufficient  that  it  be  contiguous  with  the  house  or 
usual  residence  of  such  peer,  and  that  divine  service 
be  performed  according  to  the  church  of  England, 
by  a  regularly  ordained  minister  ? 

"  May  such  chapel  be  opened  to  any  besides  his 
immediate  domestics,  if  such  peer  pleases  to  admit 
them  ? 

"  Must  the  clergyman  so  officiating  necessarily 
be  registered  in  the  Commons ;  or  is  an  appointment 
under  such  peer's  hand  and  seal,  with  or  without  a 
pecuniary  appointment  for  his  services,  necessary  to 
constitute  him  legally  qualified  for  such  ministry  ? 

"If  he  is  cited  into  the  Commons  for  such  exer- 
cise of  his  ministry,  can  he  refuse  to  appear  ?  Will 
his  plea,  as  domestic  chaplain  of  such  peer,  be  suffi- 
cient bar  to  further  proceedings?  Can  the  case  be 
carried  into  the  King's  Bench  or  House  of  Lords  ? 

"Is  it  necessary  that  such  chapel  should  be  regis- 
tered in  the  Bishop's  court  ?" 

Her  inquiries  were  promptly  answered  and  accom- 
panied by  a  letter  from  Mr.  Grlynne,  which  will  be 
read  with  interest  in  these  days  of  light  and  freedom  : 

"  In  the  notes  to  the  queries  which  your  ladyship 
did  me  the  honor  to  transmit  to  me,"  says  he,  "you 
will  perceive  there  are  great  difficulties  in  your  way. 
Ecclesiastical  law,  as  it  now  stands,  is  against  you 
in  some  points — points  which  would  not  be  insur- 
mountable, were  our  bishops  differently  minded ;  but  I 


THE  SECESSION. 


269 


regret  to  say  that  the  spirit  and  the  temper  of  too  many 
of  our  ecclesiastical  rulers  is  very  unfavorable  to  any 
liberal  or  tolerant  system ;  so  that  nothing  can  be  ex- 
pected of  a  set  of  men  who  seem  so  determined,  on  all 
occasions,  to  crush  the  spirit  of  inquiry,  free  opinion, 
and  liberty  of  conscience.  I  anxiously  look  for  refor- 
mation in  some  matters  connected  with  the  estab- 
lished church,  to  which  I  am  conscientiously  attached ; 
and  though  I  may  not  live  to  see  any  great  change, 
yet  I  am  persuaded  the  time  is  not  far  distant,  when 
bishops  will  deeply  lament  that  persecuting  spirit 
which  has  driven  so  many  from  the  church,  and 
which  in  too  many  instances  is  more  in  accordance 
with  the  intolerant  spirit  of  the  Romish  church,  than 
with  the  enlightened  principles  of  the  Protestant 
faith." 

The  spirit  of  opposition  thus  fairly  let  loose  against 
Lady  Huntington,  encouraged  by  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority, she  saw  no  end  to  the  litigations  which  might 
ensue,  bringing  a  long  train  of  perplexities  and  ex- 
penses which  must  essentially  embarrass  her  opera- 
tions and  impair  her  usefulness.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, she  cast  about  in  her  mind  how  to  free 
herself  from  the  power  which  could  persecute.  Sor- 
rowfully and  anxiously,  but  not  long,  did  she  con- 
sider the  painful  subject. 

"  Should  further  actions  come,"  she  says,  "  I  must 
patiently  endure  while  power  conquers  right.  In  this 
case  I  am  reduced  to  turn  the  finest  congregation, 
not  only  in  England  but  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
into  a  dissenting  meeting,  unless  by  the  medium  of 


270 


LADY  HUNTING-TON 


secession.  Our  ministers  might  occupy  a  neutrality 
between  church  and  dissent-secession.  Such  minis- 
ters could  supply  any  work  that  opened,  yet  not  be 
obnoxious  to  either  party,  while  by  preaching  and 
practice  they  maintained  the  doctrines  of  the  Refor- 
mation. Little,  weak,  and  insufficient  as  I  account 
my  light  among  others,  this  becomes  the  only  noble 
and  honest  testimony." 

It  was  not  without  a  struggle  that  Lady  Hunt- 
ington decided  to  take  a  step  which  must  not  only  lay 
her  open  to  invidious  remark  and  severe  censure,  but 
deprive  her  of  the  ministerial  cooperation  of  some  of 
her  most  esteemed  friends.  The  decision  of  the  Con- 
sistorial  court  had  indeed  already  done  this,  but  her 
proposed  course  would  confirm  that  decision,  and 
place  her,  if  beyond  the  control,  also  beyond  the  pro- 
fessional services  of  faithful  and  true  men  of  the 
English  church.  The  example  and  success  of  Wes- 
ley encouraged  her  ;  and  she  felt  that  a  denomination 
differing  from  "the  "Wesley ans  in  holding  the  doc- 
trinal articles  of  the  church  of  England  in  their  Cal- 
vinistic  sense — from  the  Independents,  by  admitting 
the  lawfulness,  and  in  many  cases  the  expediency  of 
using  a  scriptural  liturgy — from  the  church  of  Eng- 
land herself,  in  being  free  to  adopt  whatever  they 
deem  valuable  in  her  services,  and  to  refuse  what 
appears  to  them  objectionable,  while  they  are  exempt 
from  that  corrupting  influence  to  which  she  is  exposed 
by  her  union  with  the  state,"  and  yet  agreeing  with 
each  in  the  essential  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  might 
occupy  a  most  favorable  position  for  those  evangel- 


THE  SECESSION. 


271 


izins;  labors  which  England  then  seemed  so  much  to 
need.  And  she  was  the  more  urged  to  this  on  sur- 
veying the  good  already  accomplished  by  her  chapels, 
and  beholding  what  large  and  destitute  fields  still 
opened  for  the  faithful  efforts  of  her  students  and 
preachers. 

"  I  am  to  be  cast  out  of  the  church  now,"  she 
says,  "  only  for  what  I  have  been  doing  these  forty- 
years — speaking  and  living  for  Jesus  Christ ;  and  if 
the  days  of  my  captivity  are  now  to  be  accomplished, 
those  that  turn  me  out,  and  so  set  me  at  liberty,  may 
soon  feel  what  it  is  by  sore  distress  themselves  for 
these  hard  services  which  they  have  caused  me. 
Blessed  be  the  Lord,  I  have  not  one  care  relative  to 
this  event,  but  to  be  found  exactly  faithful  to  God 
and  man  through  all.  I  have  been  severely  handled 
and  vilified,  but  none  of  these  things  move  me,  deter- 
mined that  the  short  remnant  of  my  life  shall  be  em- 
ployed in  setting  up  the  standard  and  enlarging  the 
circle  of  evangelical  light  and  truth." 

"  Hitherto  it  had  not  been  generally  understood," 
says  her  English  biographer,  "how  far  the  privileges 
of  a  peeress  of  the  realm  extended;  but  the  trials 
which  took  place  at  the  Consistorial  court  of  London 
respecting  Spa-fields  chapel,  first  decided  the  charac- 
ter of  Lady  Huntington's  chapels  as  dissenting  places 
of  worship.  Conscientious  clergymen  at  this  decis- 
ion were  painfully  circumstanced.  On  the  one  hand 
multitudes  in  every  neighborhood  were  perishing  in 
ignorance  ;  on  the  other,  the  regulations  of  the  estab- 
lished church  forbade  their  stepping  over  the  bounda- 


272 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


ries  of  a  parish.  The  result  was,  that  many,  though 
sincerely  attached  to  the  church  of  England,  pre- 
ferred what  seemed  to  them  the  lesser  evils,  and 
preached  beyond  the  limits  of  their  own  parishes, 
hut  generally  without  incurring  ecclesiastical  penal- 
ties. Berridge's  caustic  reply  to  the  reproof  of  his 
diocesan  for  preaching  beyond  parish  bounds,  is  well 
known :  '  Why,  my  lord,  I  see  many  parsons  play- 
ing at  bowls  and  going  a  hunting  out  of  their  parishes, 
yet  they  are  not  rebuked ;  why  should  I  be  blamed 
more  than  they  V 99 

In  order  to  be  freed  from  all  further  annoyances, 
two  gentlemen  of  the  established  church,  Messrs. 
Wills  and  Taylor,  who  had  been  prohibited  by  the 
court  from  preaching  in  Lady  Huntington's  chapels, 
determined  to  secede  from  the  establishment,  and  tak- 
ing the  oaths  of  allegiance  as  dissenting  ministers, 
find  shelter  under  the  Toleration  act.  Mr.  Wills  was 
then  appointed  minister  at  Spa-fields,  and  henceforth 
the  worship  of  Grod  was  carried  on  without  molesta- 
tion. Although  misrepresented  and  misunderstood, 
their  vindication  shows  them  to  be  men  whose  can- 
dor, common-sense,  and  true  catholicity  no  one  could 
seriously  call  in  question. 

"We  beg  leave,"  they  say  to  the  archbishops  and 
bishops  of  the  church  of  England,  "with  all  humility 
and  due  respect,  to  inform  your  lordships,  that  we  have 
for  some  time  past  been  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
chapels  belonging  to  the  countess  dowager  of  Hunt- 
ington ;  apprehending  that  those  places  of  worship, 
under  the  protection  of  her  ladyship  as  a  peeress  of 


THE  SECESSION.  273 

the  realm,  were  in  no  wise  contrary  to  the  laws, 
ecclesiastical  and  civil. 

"  But  whereas,  by  a  late  decision  of  the  Consisto- 
rial  court  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  it  appears  that  her 
ladyship  cannot  authorize  us  to  officiate  in  her  chap- 
els in  the  public  manner  wherein  we  have  been 
accustomed  to  exercise  our  ministry,  we  perceive 
ourselves — as  lonsr  as  we  continue  in  the  established 
church — reduced  to  the  necessity  of  knowingly  and 
wilfully  opposing  the  law  of  that  church,  whereof  we 
are  at  present  ministers,  or  of  withdrawing  our  ser- 
vices from  the  various  congregations  to  whom  we  have 
administered  for  a  long  season,  and  trust  we  have, 
by  the  blessing  of  God,  been  made  useful.  But  as 
we  cannot  take  either  of  these  steps  with  a  good  con- 
science, nor  submit  to  those  ecclesiastical  canons  that 
would  prevent  the  discharge  of  the  ministerial  com- 
mission we  have  received  from  God  and  man  to  the 
fullest  extent ;  and  yet  desire  from  principle — as  we 
have  invariably  done  from  our  ordination — to  spread 
and  maintain  faithfully  the  fundamental  doctrines 
contained  in  the  articles,  homilies,  and  liturgy  of  the 
church  of  England,  through  the  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom  as  we  have  opportunity,  we  think  there  is 
no  alternative  left  but  for  us  to  secede  or  withdraw 
peaceably  from  the  established  church,  and  under  the 
protection  of  the  Toleration  act,  continue  to  maintain 
her  doctrines,  though  we  cannot  in  all  things  submit 
to  her  discipline.  And  this  we  desire  to  do,  not  from 
a  factious  or  schismatical  spirit,  not  from  a  design 
to  propagate  heresies  in  the  church  of  God,  nor  from 
12* 


274 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


any  sinister  or  lucrative  motives  whatsoever  ;  "but  for 
a  simple  view  of  glorifying  God,  of  preaching  the 
gospel,  and  of  being  useful  to  our  fellow-creatures  in 
that  way  which  is  most  agreeable  to  our  own  con- 
sciences, and  which  we  humbly  conceive  to  be  the 
most  calculated  for  the  general  good  of  those  many 
thousands  that  attend  the  ministry  of  ourselves  and 
of  those  connected  with  us." 

This  manly  stand  did  credit  to  them  as  Christian 
men  and  ministers  of  God. 

The  students  of  Trevecca,  no  longer  being  able 
to  obtain  episcopal  ordination,  were  henceforth  to  be 
ordained  on  the  plan  of  secession ;  and  on  the  9th  of 
March,  1783,  the  first  ordination  of  ministers  in  Lady 
Huntington's  connection  took  place  in  Spafields  chap- 
el. Six  young  men  from  Trevecca  were  to  be  set 
apart  to  the  office  of  the  holy  ministry,  and  the  chap- 
el at  an  early  hour  was  filled  to  overflowing.  A  pro- 
found solemnity  rested  upon  the  large  congregation. 
After  the  opening  supplications  and  hymns  of  praise, 
Mr.  Taylor  reviewed  the  reasons  which  had  led  to 
a  secession,  and  the  motives  which  influenced  himself 
and  his  coworker  Mr.  Wills  in  detaching  themselves 
from  the  establishment. 

"  This  Bible,  this  precious  Bible,"  said  the  speaker, 
laying  his  hand  upon  the  inspired  volume,  "we  take 
for  our  rule,  and  acknowledge  it  as  such  in  all  matters 
of  faith  and  practice.  We  have  not,  we  dare  not  take 
any  other.  Believing  this  book,  therefore,  to  be  the  only 
standard,  we  receive  or  refuse  the  sentiments,  opinions, 
and  doctrines  of  every  man,  as  weighed  in  this  balance. 


THE  SECESSION. 


275 


And  further,  believing  this  pure  word  of  God,  we 
abjure  that  heretical  tenet  which  supposes  either 
that  the  popes  of  Rome,  the  bishops  of  England,  or 
any  individual  whatever,  is  the  head  of  Christ's 
church.  This  is  a  prerogative  belonging  only  to  Christ 
himself.  Him,  therefore,  and  only  him  we  acknow- 
ledge as  such." 

After  intermediate  services,  the  confession  of  faith 
already  subscribed  to  by  the  ordaining  clergymen,  and 
to  be  received  by  ministers  in  the  connection,  was 
publicly  read,  which  recognized  all  the  distinguishing 
doctrines  of  the  gospel. 

At  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  candidates  knelt 
before  the  altar  and  each  received  from  the  ordaining 
clergyman  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  with  the  injunction, 
"  Take  thou  authority  to  preach  the  word  of  G-od,  and 
to  administer  his  appointed  ordinances,  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
After  this,  a  solemn  and  impressive  charge  was  given 
by  Mr.  Wills  from  the  words  of  Paul  to  Timothy : 
"Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and  to  thy  doctrines  ;  con- 
tinue in  them :  for  in  doing  this  thou  shalt  both  save 
thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee." 

Henceforth  the  societies  of  Lady  Huntington  be- 
came known  as  a  separate  denomination  ;  free  in  exer- 
cising their  powers,  and  untrammelled  by  ecclesiastical 
restrictions,  but  cut  off  from  those  who  once  loved  to 
labor  with  them  and  for  them.  Romaine  and  Venn  no 
longer  officiated  in  those  pulpits  once  so  dear  to  them, 
although  they  still  cordially  loved  the  chapels,  and 
maintained  an  unabated  attachment  to  their  founder. 


276 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


At  the  time  of  the  secession,  the  connection  num- 
bered sixty-seven  chapels,  seven  only  of  which  were 
the  private  property  of  the  countess  ;  and  though  the 
control  which  she  exercised  over  them  was  not  a 
strictly  legal  one,  yet,  originated  and  aided  by  her 
princely  munificence,  she  was,  during  her  lifetime, 
their  natural  overseer  or  head,  and  her  strong  powers 
of  mind,  united  with  her  knowledge  and  taste  for 
business,  peculiarly  fitted  her  for  the  oversight  of  this 
great  work.  She  kept  herself  carefully  informed  of 
the  state  of  affairs,  appointed  and  removed  ministers, 
directed  the  labors  of  students,  appointed  laymen  in 
each  congregation  to  superintend  its  secular  concerns, 
indited  letters  of  advice  and  admonition,  received  ap- 
plications for  preachers,  conducted  a  numerous  cor- 
respondence ;  in  a  word,  such  was  her  strong  person- 
al and  moral  influence,  that  no  changes  were  made 
or  plans  executed  in  the  connection,  without  her  coun- 
sel and  approbation. 

"  Of  what  church  do  you  profess  yourselves  ?"  was 
asked  of  Dr.  Haweis,  one  of  the  trustees  of  Lady 
Huntington's  property. 

"We  desire,"  he  replies,  "to  be  esteemed  mem- 
bers of  Christ's  catholic  and  apostolic  church,  and  es- 
sentially one  with  the  church  of  England,  of  which 
we  regard  ourselves  as  living  members.  And  though, 
as  the  church  of  England  is  now  governed,  we  are 
driven  to  a  mode  of  ordaining  ministers  and  maintain- 
ing societies  not  amenable  to  what  we  think  abused 
episcopal  jurisdiction,  yet  our  mode  of  governing  and 
regulating  our  congregations  will  probably  be  allowed 


THE  SECESSION. 


277 


to  be  essentially  episcopal.  "With  us  a  few  preside. 
The  doctrines  we  subscribe  are  those  of  the  church  of 
England,  in  the  literal  and  grammatical  sense.  Nor 
is  the  liturgy  of  the  church  performed  more  devoutly, 
or  the  Scriptures  better  read  for  the  edifying  of  the 
people,  by  any  congregations  in  the  realm,  than  by 
those  in  our  connection. " 


278 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HAB.TEST-H01CE. 

Lady  Huntington  had  now  gone  beyond  three- 
score years  and  ten,  with  no  abatement  of  her  labors, 
or  of  the  vigor  and  resoluteness  which  distinguished 
her  character.  She  knew  indeed  neither  weariness 
nor  rest.  The  new  divine  life  with  which  she  arose 
from  her  sick-bed  in  the  days  of  her  youth  and  splen- 
dor, was  subject  to  none  of  the  infirmities  of  the 
natural  body ;  and  far  beyond  the  common  life  of  man, 
it  seemed  to  lift  her  above  the  weakness  of  the  flesh, 
and  clothe  decaying  nature  with  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  an  immortal  vesture.  Lady  Anne  Erskine 
was  her  constant  companion,  devoted  to  her  interests, 
animated  by  the  same  lofty  purposes,  and  willing 
both  to  suffer  and  rejoice  with  her. 

In  1789,  the  venerable  countess  was  called  to 
mourn  the  death  of  her  eldest  son,  Lord  Huntington, 
nor  was  this  the  only  occasion  when  her  heart  had 
bled  on  account  of  him.  He  was  an  elegant  and 
accomplished  man,  and  had  filled  several  offices  of 
trust  and  honor  under  his  sovereign ;  but  strongly 
tinctured  with  the  profligacy  and  practical  infidelity 
of  the  times,  he  neither  understood  the  excellency  of 
his  mother's  principles  in  life,  nor  their  saving  power 
in  death.  Mr.  Grrimshaw  had  many  conversations 
with  the  young  earl,  and  pronounced  the  fault  not  so 


HARVEST. HOME. 


279 


much  in  the  head  as  the  heart.  Wherever  it  was, 
he  died  as  he  had  lived,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

During  her  last  years,  Lady  Huntington  lived 
the  greater  part  of  the  year  at  her  house  in  Spa-fields, 
London,  next  door  to  the  chapel,  where  her  style  of 
living  befitted  less  an  English  peer  than  an  heir  of 
glory.  Her  equipage  and  furniture  were  extremely 
simple  ;  and  although  her  income  was  much  increased 
at  her  son's  death,  so  ample  were  her  benefactions 
that  she  allowed  herself  but  one  dress  a  year,  a  degree 
of  economy  that  might  well  shame  many  a  Christian 
woman  whose  adorning  consists  far  more  in  the 
"  putting  on  of  apparel,"  than  "  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible." 

"  I  remember,"  said  one,  "  calling  on  her  with  a 
person  who  came  from  the  country :  when  we  came 
out  he  turned  his  eye  towards  the  house,  and  after  a 
short  pause  exclaimed,  "  What  a  lesson  !  Can  a  per- 
son of  her  noble  birth,  nursed  in  the  lap  of  grandeur, 
live  in  such  a  house,  so  meanly  furnished  ?  and  shall 
I,  a  tradesman,  be  surrounded  with  luxury  and  ele- 
gance ?  From  this  moment  I  shall  hate  my  house, 
my  furniture,  and  myself  for  spending  so  little  for 
God,  and  so  much  in  folly." 

"  With  an  income  of  only  twelve  hundred  pounds 
a  year,  spent  in  the  service  of  Grod,  what  wonders 
was  she  able  to  perform,"  exclaims  one  of  her  friends. 
"  She  maintained  the  college  at  her  own  expense, 
she  erected  chapels  in  most  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  she  supported  preachers  who  were  sent  to  preach 
in  various  parts  of  the  world.    This  was  indeed  con- 


280 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


sscration  to  God.  Go  thou,  therefore,  who  art  say- 
ing, '  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  V  and  do  likewise.  Thou  canst  not  evidence 
thy  love  to  G-od  or  man  by  adding^  house  to  house 
and  field  to  field,  or  by  treasuring  up  thy  riches  be- 
hind the  exchange.  On  the  contrary,  if  God  hath 
given  thee  wealth  with  a  liberal  hand,  and  thou  hast 
no  heart  to  expend  it  in  his  service,  it  will  convince 
every  being  but  thyself  that  thou  hast  no  love  to  him, 
and  that  thy  professions  are  not  thy  principles." 

In  approaching  her  eighty-fourth  year,  Lady  Hunt- 
ington felt  that  her  work  was  nearly  done ;  the  in- 
firmities of  age  came  upon  her,  and  the  once  robust 
and  active  frame,  so  alert  to  do  the  bidding  of  its 
spiritual  tenant,  began  to  ask  for  indulgence  and  to 
crave  rest.  Her  business  was  carefully  arranged,  her 
extensive  charities  all  provided  for,  responsible  per- 
sons had  been  selected  to  carry  out  her  plans,  and 
though  still  diligent  with  the  business  of  the  evening, 
she  looked  forward  with  "strong  immortal  hope"  to 
the  dawn  of  that  to-morrow  whose  glorious  sun  would 
have  no  setting. 

As  she  sits  in  her  elbow-chair,  and  memory  runs 
back  over  the  long  past,  and  through  this  brilliant 
period  of  the  history  of  the  church  signalized  by  so 
many  triumphs  and  trophies,  is  there  no  whisper  of 
self-gratulation  for  the  conspicuous  part  which  she 
bore,  the  friend  and  helper  of  God's  chosen  ones,  the 
leader  and  counsellor  of  many  of  his  people  ? 

"0,  who  would  dare  to  produce  the  best  works  of 
his  best  days  before  God  for  their  own  sake?"  she 


HARVEST-HOME. 


281 


exclaims ;  "  sufficiently  blessed  and  secure  are  we, 
if  we  can  but  cry,  '  Gfod  be  merciful  unto  me  a  sin- 
ner.' Let  me  be  found  'accepted  in  the  Beloved.'" 
"  Drawing  near  to  him,"  she  said  on  another  occa- 
sion, "  what  hope  could  I  entertain,  if  I  did  not  know 
the  efficacy  of  his  blood  ?  How  little  could  any  thing 
of  mine  give  a  moment's  rest  to  the  departing  soul — 
so  much  sin  and  self  mixing  with  the  best,  and  always 
so  short  of  what  I  owe." 

Coming  from  her  chamber  one  morning,  and  tak- 
ing her  place  in  the  easy-chair,  an  unwonted  light 
was  spread  over  her  countenance.  "  The  Lord  hath 
been  present  with  my  spirit  this  morning  in  a  remark- 
able manner,"  she  soon  said;  "what  he  means  to 
convey  to  my  mind  I  know  not ;  it  may  be  my  ap- 
proaching departure  :  my  soul  is  filled  with  glory — 
I  am  as  in  the  element  of  heaven  itself." 

Only  a  few  days  after  this  she  ruptured  a  blood- 
vessel, from  the  effects  of  which  she  never  recovered. 

"  How  do  you  feel  ?"  asked  Lady  Anne,  who  sat 
at  the  bedside  of  her  friend. 

"  I  am  well ;  all  is  well,  well  for  ever,"  was  the 
triumphant  answer  of  this  aged  believer.  "  I  see, 
wherever  I  turn  my  eyes,  whether  I  live  or  die, 
nothing  but  victory."  What  was  there  in  the  weak- 
ness and  suffering  of  decaying  nature  to  dictate  a 
reply  like  this  ? 

Her  sickness  commenced  in  November ;  the  silver 
cord  was  gently  loosed,  for  she  lingered  through  the 
winter  until  June.  By  the  ministry  of  sickness  she 
grew  patient  and  childlike,  and  often  said,  "  I  am 


282 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


cradled  in  the  arms  of  love  and  mercy and  again, 
when  it  seemed  a  great  way  to  the  "better  land,  she 
"longed  to  he  at  home."  "My  work  is  done;  I 
have  nothing  to-  do  hut  to  go  to  my  Father ;"  and  a 
few  hours  before  the  last  struggle  she  whispered  joy- 
fully, "  I  shall  go  to  my  Father  to-night ;"  and  so  she 
went  home,  June  17,  1791.  Her  age  was  eighty- 
four.  She  was  buried  in  the  family  tomb  at  Ashby- 
de-la-Zouch,  and  her  name  is  with  the  Miriams,  the 
Marys,  and  the  Marthas  of  the  church  of  G-od. 

Berridge,  Romaine,  and  Venn,  all  in  the  evening 
of  their  days,  still  lingered  on  the  earthly  scene.  It 
was  during  this  year  that  the  rector  of  Yelling  came 
to  preach  in  London  for  the  last  time,  and  he  says, 
"  I  took  my  final  leave  of  Surrey  chapel,  addressing 
mysalf  to  a  great  multitude  from  Heb.  10  :  23  :  i  Let 
us  hold  fast  the  profession  of  our  faith  without  waver- 
ing; for  He  is  faithful  that  promised.'  My  work  is 
nearly  ended." 

Soon  after,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  children, 
he -paid  a  visit  to  the  venerable  pastor  of  Everton, 
"  dear  brother  Berridge,  whose  sight,"  he  tells  us, 
"  is  very  dim,  his  ears  can  scarcely  hear,  and  his 
faculties  are  fast  decaying ;  but  in  this  ruin  of  the 
earthly  tabernacle,  it  is  refreshing,"  adds  his  friend, 
"to  see  the  joy  in  his  countenance  and  the  lively 
hope  with  which  he  looks  for  the  day  of  his  dissolu- 
tion. In  his  prayer  with  me  and  my  children,  we 
were  much  affected  by  his  commending  himself  to 
the  Lord  as  if  quite  alone,  not  being  able  to  read, 
or  hear,  or  do  any  thing ;   '  but  I  have,  Lord,' 


HARVEST-HOME. 


283 


said  he,  '  thy  presence  and  thy  love ;  that  suf- 
ficed' » 

Mr.  Berridge's  large  fortune  seems  to  have  been 
far  spent  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  for  we  find 
Romaine  in  London  begging  in  his  behalf  for  "the 
support  of  two  preachers  and  their  horses,  for  several 
local  preachers,  and  the  rent  of  some  barns  for  them 
to  preach  in ;"  so  that  he  strove  to  keep  his  under- 
shepherds  still  in  the  field.  Nor  did  he  himself  ever 
relinquish  his  work  ;  for  we  find  him  making  his 
yearly  visits  to  the  metropolis  while  life  lasted,  and 
with  tottering  steps  climbing  up  the  pulpit  stairs  of 
the  Tabernacle  and  Surrey  chapel,  revered  for  the 
sturdy  godliness  of  his  character,  and  pointed  out  to 
strangers  for  the  quaint  sayings  and  eccentric  doings 
which  had  been  noised  about  concerning  him  through- 
out the  kingdom.  He  was  expected  in  London  to 
preach,  when  tidings  came  of  his  death  in  1793,  aged 
seventy-six. 

Let  us  go  to  Blackfriars  or  St.  Dunstan's  and 
once  more  see  Romaine,  although  there  is  said  to  be 
little  left  in  his  sermons  but  heaven,  and  the  doc- 
trines which  he  so  long  preached  as  truths,  he  now 
finds  in  a  deep  and  rich  experience  to  be  blessings 
indeed.  He  is  a  chee  ful,  pleasant  old  man.  Like  a 
newly  found  diamond,  he  was  once  rough,  very  sharp, 
and  of  great  point,  but  the  discipline  of  many  years 
has  polished  the  hard  exterior,  and  brought  forth  its 
hidden  lustre  ;  his  virtues  shine  with  a  softer  and 
serener  beauty. 

His  summer  and  winter  campaigns  Romaine  kept 


284 


LADY  HUNTING1  TON. 


up,  like  a  brave  old  soldier,  to  the  last;  during  the 
winter  remaining  at  his  post  in  London,  and  in  sum- 
mer visiting  the  towns  and  villages  which  were  the 
scenes  of  his  early  conquests,  and  now  rich  with  the 
trophies  of  his  zeal  and  faithfulness. 

The  last  year  of  his  life  his  strength  gradually 
began  to  fail,  and  when  people  met  and  asked  him 
how  he  was,  his  usual  answer  was,  "As  well  as  I 
can  be  out  of  heaven ;"  and  at  the  close  of  a  seven 
weeks'  illness,  the  last  words  which  lingered  on  his 
bloodless  lips  were,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  blessed  Jesus, 
to  thee  be  endless  praise !"  He  died  in  1795,  aged 
eighty-one. 

Venn  is  now  writing,  "  I  am  so  infirm  as  not  to 
be  able  to  pray  with  my  own  family ;  nevertheless, 
'  He  that  loved  me  will  love  me  to  the  end ;' "  and 
then,  with  an  ever-thoughtful  tenderness  for  others, 
he  says,  "  One  thing  only  I  desire  without  ceasing, 
that  for  the  sake  of  the  thousands  to  whom  I  have 
preached  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  I  may  in 
the  hour  of  death  look  through  an  opened  heaven  to  a 
crucified  Saviour  smiling  upon  a  poor  guilty  soul." 

His  wife  died  a  year  before  him,  and  all  his  chil- 
dren having  married  except  Kitty,  who  remained  his 
nurse  and  devoted  companion,  he  left  the  rectory  of 
Yelling  and  came  to  Clapham,  where  his  son  was 
rector,  and  dwelt  with  him.  It  is  said  that  the  near 
prospect  of  dissolution  so  elated  his  mind  that  it 
proved  a  stimulus  to  life.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Venn, 
observing  some  fatal  symptoms,  said,  "  Surely  these 
are  good."    "  Sir,"  answered  the  physician,  "  in  this 


HARVEST-HOME. 


285 


state  of  joyous  excitement  you  cannot  die."  Nor 
will  he  die ;  he  yet  liveth  and  speaketh,  though  he 
passed  from  the  earthly  scene  in  1797,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three,  and  entered  upon  those  joys,  blessed 
foretastes  of  which  cheered,  comforted,  nay,  in  mo- 
ments often  transported  his  soul,  in  its  pilgrimage 
below. 

Standing  as  we  are  at  the  bed  of  death,  in  the 
glowing  language  of  the  lyric  shall  we  not  exclaim, 

M  How  glorious  is  the  gift  of  faith, 
That  cheers  the  darksome  tomb, 
And  through  the  damp  and  gloomy  grave 
Can  shed  a  rich  perfume. 

"  Triumphant  faith  !  it  lifts  the  soul 
Above  desponding  fears ; 
Exults  in  hope  of  heaven  her  home, 
And  longs  to  enter  there.'7 

"Who  is  not  ready  to  put  up  the  heartfelt  petition, 
"May  my  last  days  be  like  theirs?"  Are  you  as 
ready  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ;  as  ready  to 
embrace  the  offers  of  mercy  through  a  crucified  Re- 
deemer ;  as  ready  to  lay  hold  on  eternal  life  ?  The 
triumphs  of  faith  are  for  those  who  lead  a  believer's 
life. 

In  her  will,  Lady  Huntington  devised  her  chap- 
els, houses,  furniture,  and  all  the  residue  of  her 
estates  and  effects,  to  four  trustees,  Dr.  Haweis  and 
his  wife,  Lady  Anne  Erskine,  and  Mr.  Lloyd,  direct- 
ing them  at  their  death  to  appoint  successors ;  and  in 
a  codicil  requesting  her  children,  the  Countess  of 
Moira  and  her  husband  being  the  only  survivors,  to 


286 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


approve  and  confirm  the  disposition  which  had  thus 
been  made  of  her  property. 

The  lease  of  the  college  building  at  Trevecca 
having  nearly  expired,  measures  had  been  adopted 
before  the  countess'  death  to  remove  the  institution 
somewhere  nearer  London ;  for  this  purpose  a  build- 
ing and  lands  were  taken  at  Cheshunt,  delightfully 
situated  on  New  river,  twelve  miles  from  London. 
It  was  reopened  on  the  24th  of  August,  1792,  the 
anniversary  of  its  establishment  at  Trevecca,  and  of 
the  birthday  of  its  distinguished  founder  and  patron- 
ess. In  anticipation  of  her  death,  and  the  consequent 
loss  of  income  from  that  source,  funds  had  been  raised 
for  its  future  support,  and  the  interests  of  the  college 
vested  in  the  hands  of  seven  trustees,  in  whom  resides 
the  right  of  admitting  or  rejecting  students,  and  the 
appointment  or  dismissal  of  tutors.  The  students 
are  boarded  and  educated  for  four  years,  entirely  at 
the  charge  of  the  college ;  and  according  to  the  liberal 
principles  of  the  institution,  every  student  is  at  lib- 
erty, at  the  close  of  the  prescribed  course  of  study,  to 
serve  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  in  any  of  the 
churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Rev.  Isaac  Nich- 
olson of  the  established  church  was  appointed  presi- 
dent. 

Dr.  John  Harris,  whose  "Great  Teacher"  has 
taught  so  many  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  is  now 
theological  professor  at  Cheshunt. 

When  it  was  known  what  disposition  Lady  Hunt- 
ington had  made  of  her  property,  the  trustees  agreed 
that  as  Lady  Anne  Erskine  had  long  been  familiar 


HARVEST-HOME. 


287 


with  the  business  transactions  of  the  connection,  she 
should  be  requested  still  to  occupy  the  house  at  Spa- 
fields  and  carry  on  the  necessary  correspondence,  and 
exercise  a  superintending  control — advising  with  her 
colaborers,  and  rendering  an  account  to  them,  when 
required,  of  the  state  of  affairs. 

Lady  Anne  inherited  much  of  the  talent  of  the 
Erskine  family.  At  the  age  of  eight  years  she  first 
felt  the  strivings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  though  her 
early  life  was  passed  amid  the  fashionable  follies  of 
her  rank  and  day,  an  acquaintance  with  the  Hills  of 
Hawkstone  revived  her  religious  feelings,  and  led  her 
to  a  serious  consideration  of  eternal  things.  At  Bath 
she  met  Lady  Huntington,  whose  conversation  and 
example  instructed  and  confirmed  her  faith ;  she 
turned  from  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  the  world,  and 
made  an  unreserved  dedication  of  herself  to  the  ser- 
vice of  her  Lord.  Congenial  in  their  purposes  and 
principles,  Lady  Anne  was  taken  to  the  countess' 
heart,  and  invited  to  her  home,  where  she  found  scope 
for  that  activity  of  mind  which  could  not  rest  satis- 
fied without  its  appropriate  work  to  do. 

u  During  the  twelve  years  after  her  active  life 
commenced,"  runs  a  brief  account  of  her,  "  she  was 
indefatigably  employed  in  the  work  of  Grod.  Her 
correspondence  was  very  extensive.  Her  room  was 
hardly  without  visitors  from  morning  till  night,  giv- 
ing an  account  of  commissions  fulfilled,  or  taking- 
directions  where  to  go  and  what  to  do.  She  im- 
proved every  opportunity  of  conversing  with  the 
friends  who  visited  her,  especially  the  young.  In- 


288 


LADY  HUNTINGTON. 


deed,  her  whole  time  and  thoughts  seemed  to  .be 
engaged  to  fill  up  her  place,  feeling  it  her  delight, 
as  well  as  her  duty,  to  discharge  her  trust,  as  she 
must  answer  to  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of 

souls." 

At  Lady  Huntington's  death,  her  income  was  re- 
duced to  a  mere  pittance  ;  but  she  knew  in  whom  she 
trusted,  and  many  a  time  was  her  faith  encouraged 
by  receiving  supplies  in  ways  most  unexpected  and 
for  times  of  the  greatest  need.  One  day  a  lady,  on 
leaving,  put  a  letter  on  her  table,  which  Lady  Anne 
sent  back,  supposing  it  left  through  mistake.  The 
lady  begged  her  to  keep  it,  and  on  opening  it  she 
found  five  notes  of  one  hundred  pounds  each.  "A 
fortune  has  been  left  me,"  said  the  lady,  "  and  I  desire 
to  honor  the  Lord  with  my  substance  and  the  first 
fruits  of  my  increase.  I  give  it  to  you  to  strengthen 
your  hands  in  the  cause  of  Grod." 

"  I  had  not,"  said  Lady  Anne,  "a  shilling  in  the 
house  at  the  time.  Application  had  been  made  to  me 
to  receive  a  chapel  into  the  connection,  which  I  was 
obliged  to  refuse  ;  but  as  soon  as  I  received  this  mon- 
ey, I  sent  for  the  parties  and  gave  it  the  required 
aid." 

Lady  Anne  survived  her  friend  twelve  years,  and 
after  some  weeks  of  slight  indisposition,  was  found 
one  morning  sleeping  in  Jesus. 

From  an  English  standpoint  shall  we  not  take 
one  backward  glance  over  the  stirring  scenes  just 
closing  around  us  ? 


HA  R  VE  S  I-HOiLE  . 


289 


"Whether  the  chapels  in  Lady  Huntington's  con- 
nection are  at  this  time  few  or  many,"  says  Isaac 
Taylor  in  his  late  admirable  work  on  Methodism,  "is 
a  matter  of  no  general  moment  to  inquire  ;  for  whether 
few  or  many,  the  connection  has  subsided  into  its 
place  as  one  among  the  religious  communities  that 
hold  orthodoxy  and  evangelic  doctrine  ;  and  probably 
it  is  efficient  in  a  full  proportion  to  its  statistics.  But 
with  this  we  have  here  no  concern.  What  does 
concern  us,  is  the  fact  that  much  that  has  become 
characteristic  of  evangelic  Christianity  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  had  its  origin  in  Lady  Huntington's  draw- 
ing-room, that  is  to  say,  in  the  circle  of  which  she 
was  the  centre,  and  her  house  the  gathering  point.  In 
a  diffusive  or  undefined  manner  this  religious  style 
has  pervaded  all  religious  communions;  but  within 
the  Episcopal  church  the  transmission  was  more  deter- 
minate, and  more  sharply  outlined,  and  it  may  there 
be  traced  with  more  precision,  and  is  pregnant  with 
further  consequences. 

"In  fact,  this  religious  transmission,  which  con- 
nects the  venerated  names  of  Venn,  Newton,  Scott, 
Milner,  and  others  in  no  very  remote  manner  with 
the  founders  of  Methodism,  might  seem  too  conspicuous 
to  be  called  in  question :  nor  does  it  very  clearly  ap- 
pear what  those  manly  and  Christian-like  feelings  are, 
which  would  prompt  any  parties  to  repudiate  it. 

"It  is  the  Episcopal  church  which  has  inherited 
the  main  part  of  the  religious  animation  and  refresh- 
ment which  has  come  down  from  that  band  of  or- 
dained ministers  of  which  we  are  speaking.  Besides 

HuMtington.  1 3 


290  LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


those  already  named,  and  who  stand  so  nearly  relat- 
ed to  the  present  times,  in  ascending  a  few  years 
we  reach,  without  a  break,  that  company  of  men, 
less  regular  in  their  ministrations,  but  not  less  de- 
serving of  affectionate  regard,  whose  names  can  by 
no  means  be  disconnected  with  Mifliodism — names 
which,  so  long  as  the  church  retains  her  articles  and 
homilies,  it  would  be  treason  to  disown.  Let  Fletcher 
lead  the  way,  and  let  there  come  Hervey,  Grimshaw, 
Berridge,  Romaine,  Toplady,  Walker,  and  Shirley. 

"It  may  be  granted,  that  the  rise  of  Methodism 
brings  to  view  many  instances  of  what  may  be  called 
independent  origination ;  and  it  is  true,  that  the  minds 
of  men  who  were  unknown  to  each  other,  became 
about  the  same  time  similarly  affected  towards  the 
first  truths  of  the  Christian  system ;  so  that,  when 
accident  or  sympathy  had  brought  them  into  contact, 
they  readily  coalesced,  and  thenceforward  thought  it 
their  duty  and  happiness  to  act  in  concert.  So  act- 
ing and  so  associating,  Lady  Huntington  gathered 
them  around  herself;  and  she  aided,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent, she  directed  their  movements. 

"As  with  Wesley,  so  with  Lady  Huntington,  a 
formal  separation  from  the  established  church  was,  in 
each  act  and  instance,  submitted  to  with  extreme 
reluctance,  and  not  until  it  was  felt  to  be  inevitable. 
When  at  length  the  irregularities  of  the  awakened 
clergy  could  no  longer  be  winked  at  by  the  church 
authorities,  the  greater  number  of  them  fell  back  in 
their  places  as  parish  ministers ;  and  this  defection, 
while  it  gave  rise  necessarily  to  a  new  order  of  min- 


HARVEST-HOME. 


291 


isters  in  the  'connection,'  whose  ordination  placed 
them  on  a  level  only  with  the  dissenting  ministry,  it 
took  place  at  a  time  when  no  alternative  was  left  to 
Lady  Huntington's  congregations,  hut  to  seek  protec- 
tion under  the  Toleration  act  as  dissenters. 

"Lady  Huntington  was  always  the  object  of  a 
warm  personal  affection  with  those  who  were  nearest 
to  her.  With  them,  it  was  always  'our  dear  Lady 
Huntington ;'  and  putting  out  of  view  formal  eulo- 
gies, it  is  unquestionable,  that  if  she  governed  her 
connection  as  having  a  right  to  rule  it,  her  style  and 
behavior,  like  Wesley's,  indicated  the  purest  motives, 
and  the  most  entire  simplicity  of  purpose.  This,  in 
truth,  may  be  said  to  be  a  common  characteristic  of 
the  founders  of  Methodism :  a  devotedness  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Saviour  Christ,  which  none  who  saw  or 
conversed  with  them  could  question. 

"The  same  praise  and  in  the  same  degree  is  un- 
doubtedly the  due  of  many  of  those  who  were  the 
associates  and  colleagues  of  these  principal  persons.  It 
is  as  bright  a  company  that  we  have  before  us,  as  we 
find  anywhere  on  the  page  of  Christian  history." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  aspects  of  this  great 
awakening,  to  us,  is  the  family  likeness  which  exists 
among  the  true  children  of  God;  and  this  is  one  of 
the  old  truths  which  sometimes  break  upon  us  with 
new  favor  and  beauty,  and  which  we  indeed  often 
need  to  be  reminded  of.  In  our  company  have  been 
Dissenters,  Episcopalians,  Congregationalists,  Meth- 
odists, Arminians,  Calvinists,  by  various  names  are 


292 


LADY  HUNTING-TON. 


they  known  among  men,  yet  all  bearing  the  image  of 
their  common  Lord,  and  possessing  the  characteris- 
tics which  mark  them  a  "peculiar  people,"  the  true 
"Israel  of  God."  Here  all  that  was  subordinate  and 
local  was  set  aside,  all  inferior  considerations  were 
swallowed  up  in  the  one  grand  and  absorbing  object, 
to  live  in  and  to  labor  for  their  Redeemer  and  Lord, 
Jesus  Christ.  "I  am  the  Lord's,"  was  the  animat- 
ing principle  of  their  lives,  not  only  lifting  them  above 
the  ordinary  discouragements  and  indulgences  of  life, 
but  carrying  them  through  labors  and  self-denial  and 
opposition,  in  the  pursuit  of  a  spiritual  and  unseen 
good,  with  a  steadfastness  of  purpose  that  never  fal- 
tered, and  a  zeal  that  knew  no  abatement.  And  it 
not  only  endowed  them  with  the  spirit  of  conquest, 
it  imbued  them  also  with  all  the  spirit  of  love,  a  true, 
hearty,  cordial,  self-forgetting  love,  for  one  another — a 
love  which  knew  no  sect,  demanded  no  certificates, 
and  was  bounded  by  no  state  lines.  By  this,  might 
it  have  been  emphatically  said,  did  all  men  recognize 
the  Lord's  disciples,  in  that  they  "loved  one  another." 
The  old  world  and  the  new  felt  the  fraternal  tie,  and 
"kissecf  each  other." 

When  shall  the  Lord's  people  again  live  this  fresh 
and  glorious  life  ?  When  shall  the  cloven  tongues  of 
another  Pentecost  speak  the  wonderful  works  of  (rod  ? 
Shall  not  our  hearts'  desire  and  prayer  to  God  be  for 
a  new  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 


PUBLICATIONS 

OF  THE 

AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 


A  SET  OF  THE  SOCIETY'S  PUBLICATIONS,  $50. 

The  three  following  Libraries,  with  twelve  volumes  of  the  series 
of  Tracts,  new  edition  illustrated,  Gallaudet's  Scripture  Biography, 
and  numerous  other  works,  including  volumes  of  the  Children's  Series 
and  Pocket  Manuals,  form  a  set  of  the  Society's  publications  in  Eng- 
lish, comprising  nearly  200  volumes,  sold  at  $50. 

RELIGIOUS  LIBRARY,  24  VOLS.,  $10. 

1  Flavel's  Fountain  of  Life. 

2  Flavel's  Method  of  Grace. 

3  Flavel's  Christ  Knocking  at  the  Door. 

4  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest. 

5  Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor. 

6  Riches  of  Bunyan. 

7  Owen  on  Forgiveness  of  Sin,  or  Psalm 

130. 

8  Bishop  Hall's  Scripture  History. 

9  Bishop  Hopkins  on  the  Ten  Command- 

ments. 

10  Venn's  Complete  Duty  of  Man. 

11  President  Edwards  on  Revivals. 

12  Willison's    Afflicted    Man's  Com- 

panion. 


13  Paley's  Natural  Theology  and  Hora 

Paulinas . 

14  Olinthus  Gregory's  Letters  on  Infi- 

delity. 

1 5  Nelson  on  Infidelity. 

16  Dr.  Spring's  Bible  Not  of  Man. 

17  Memoir  of  Dr.  Milnor. 

18  Memoir  of  Summerfield. 

19  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham. 

20  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  H.  Smith. 

21  D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Reforma- 

tion, vol.  1. 

22  Do.  vol.  2. 

23  Do.  vol.  3. 

24  Do.  vol.  4. 


EVANGELICAL  FAMILY  LIBRARY. 

FIFTEEN  VOLUMES,  18MO,  WITH  STEEL-PLATE  FRONTISPIECES.     PRICE  $5  50. 


1  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress. 

2  Wilberforce's  Practical  View,with  Por- 

trait ;  and  Flavel's  Touchstone. 

3  Edwards  on  the  Affections,  with  Por- 

trait ;  and  Alleine's  Alarm. 

4  Bunyan's   Pilgrim's  Progress,  with 

Engravings. 

5  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest. 

6  Baxter's  Call,  Dying  Thoughts,  and 

Life. 

7  Memoir  of  David  Brainerd,  with  En- 

gravings; and  Flavel  on  Keeping 
the  Heart. 

8  Mem.  of  Henry  Martyn,  with  Portrait. 

VOLUMES  BOUND  TO  MATCH  THE  FAMILY  LIBRARY 

16  Memoir  of  Rev.  Dr.  Buchanan. 

17  Elijah  the  Tishbite. 

18  Memoir  of  Mrs.  H.  L.  "Winslow. 

19  Reformation  in  Europe. 

20  Practical  Piety. 

21  Anecdotes  for  the  Family  Circle. 

22  Spirit  of  Popery,  and  Colporteur  and 

Roman-catholic. 

23  Christian  Contemplated  and  Fuller's 

Backslider. 

24  Syst.  Beneficence  and  Life  of  Swartz. 

25  MelvilPs  Bible  Thoughts  and  Life  of 

Leighton. 

26  Sabbath  Manual,  Temp.  Manual,  and 

Beecher  on  Intemperance. 

27  Mammon  and  Self- Knowledge. 


9  Edwards'  History  of  Redemption. 

10  Pike's  Persuasives  to  Early  Piety 

11  Pike's  Guide  for  Young  Disciples, 
Frontispiece. 

12  Memoir  of  Rev.  Dr.  Payson,  with  Por- 
trait. 

13  Nevins'  Practical  Thoughts,  and 
Thoughts  on  Popery,  with  Frontis- 
piece. 

14  Evidences  of  Christianity.  ByJenyns, 
Leslie,  Lyttleton,  Watson,  and 
others. 

15  Memoir  of  James  Brainerd  Taylor, 
with  Portrait. 

21  vols,    price  $7  50. 

28  Life  of  Pearce,  Scudder's  Last  Com- 
mand, and  Appeal  to  Mothers. 

29  Eternal  Life  and  Anxious  Inquirer. 

30  Universalism  Not  of  God,  and  Keith 
on  Prophecy 

31  Bogue's  Essay,  and  Counsels  to  Young 
Men. 

32  Life  of  Newton  and  Mother  at  Home. 

33  Gurney's  Love  to  God  and  Sherman's 
Guide. 

34  Harlan  Page,  Rev.  S.  Kilpin,  and  Nor 
mand  Smith. 

35  Thoughts  on  Missions,  and  Hannah 
Hobbie. 

36  Matthew  Henry,  Meekness,  ajid  Self- 
Deception. 


8 


YOUTH'S  LIBRARY,  70  VOLS.,  $10. 


1-S  Hannah  More's  Cheap  Repository 

Tracts.  ' 
9  Peep  of  Day. 

10  Line  upon  Line. 

11  Precept  upon  Precept. 

12  Night  of  Toil. 

13  Fletcher's  Lectures  to  Children,  vol.  1 . 

14  -  u  h         u  2. 

15  Child's  Book  on  the  Sabbath. 

16  Abbott's  Child  at  Home. 

17  Gallaudet's  Youth's  Book  of  Natural 

Theology. 

IS  Charlotte  Elizabeth's  Personal  Recol- 
lections. 

19  Memoir  of  Anzonetta  R.  Peters. 

20  Missionary's  Daughter. 

21  Legh  Richmond's  Let'rs  and  Counsels. 

22  Memoir  of  Caroline  E.  Smelt. 

23  Advice  to  a  Young  Christian. 

24  Young  Man  from  Home. 

25  Memoir  of  Charles  H.  Porter. 

26  Scudder's  Tales  about  the  Heathen. 

27  Dairyman's  Daughter,  etc. 

28  Gallaudet's  Child's  B'k ^  on  Repentance. 

29  Gallaudet's  History  of  Jonah. 

30  Trees.  Fruits,  ?jid  Flowers  of  the  Bible. 

31  Memoir  of  Henry  Obookiah. 

32  Conversion  of  Jessie  Little. 

33  Scripture  Alphabet  of  Animals. 

34  Memoir  of  Nathan  W.  Dickerman.  I 

35  Spoiled  Child,  etc.  < 

36  Wilberforce  Richmond.  < 

37  Village  in  the  Mountains. 


Memoir  of  Mary  Lothrop. 

Little  Henry,  etc. 

The  Widow's  Son.  etc. 

Letters  to  Little  Children. 

Eliza  Cunningham,  etc. 

Memoir  of  John  ML  Mead. 

Memoir  of  C.  L.  Winslow. 

Great  Truths. 

Pastor's  Daughter. 

Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain,  etc. 

Peet's  Scripture  Lessons. 

Putnam  and  the  Wolf,  etc. 

Walker's  Faith  Explained. 

Walker's  Eepentance  Explained. 

Elizabeth  Bales. 

Grace  Harriet. 

Mary  of  Toulouse,  etc. 

Adopted  Daughter. 

Memoir  of  Eliza  Astor  RumpfF. 

Clementine  Cuvier. 

Parley  the  Porter,  etc. 

George  Lovell.  etc. 

Gallaudet's  Life  of  Josiah. 

Weavers  Daughter,  etc. 

Lazarus  Raised  from  the  Dead. 

The  Bible  True. 

Foster's  Appeal  to  the  Young. 

Emily  Maria. 

Withered  Branch  Revived. 

Children  Invited  to  Christ. 

Children  of  the  Bible. 

Pious  Children. 

Rolls  Plumbe. 


ALSO, 


Ik  German — 56  vols.,  various  sizes,  in- 
cluding Barth's  Church  History,  Life  of 
M.  Boos,  Rules  of  Life.  Lord's  Day. 
Fabricius,  Honey-Drop,  Christ  Knock- 
ing at  the  Door,  and  twj  volumes  and 
packets  of  Books  for  Children,  recently 
published. 

Ifl  French — Sixteen  volumes. 

Ik  Spanish— 1  Aub"  le's  History  of  the 
Reformation,  ol.  1.,  Bogue's  Authen- 
ticity of  the  New  Testament.  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  Illustrated  Tract  Primer,  Prim- 


itive Catholicism,  Andrew  Dunn,  Sab- 
bath Manual,  Part  I..  Kirwan's  Letters, 
Evangelical  Hymns,  Temperance  Man- 
ual, and  Manual  for  Children. 

Ix  Welsh — Pilgrim's  Progress.  Baxter's 
Saints'  Rest  and  Call.  Anxious  Inquirer, 
History  of  Redemption. 

In  Danish — Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress, 
Baxter's  Saints'  Pcest  and  Call. 

Foreign  Tracts — in  German,  French, 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  Italian,  Dutch, 
Danish.  Swedish,  and  Welsh. 


The  Family  Testament  with  Notes,  Instructions,  and  Maps,  will  be  welcomed 
as  a  brief  and  comprehensive  comment  for  use  in  family  worship,  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  in  the  closet.    Price  60  cents. 


These  works  are  not  exceeded  in  high  evangelical  character,  spir- 
itual power,  and  practical  worth  by  any  similar  collection  in  any 
language.  They  have  been  carefully  selected  for  the  great  body  of  in- 
telligent readers  throughout  the  country,  and  the  most  watchful  parent 
may  supply  them  to  his  family  or  to  others,  not  only  with  safety  to 
their  best  and  eternal  interests,  but  with  hope  of  the  richest  spiritual 
blessings. 


DATE  DUE 


— 

CAYLORO 

